A raid carried out at a Budleigh Salterton restaurant was part of a series of six carried out throughout Devon. Of seven illegal workers found, six were arrested – including a worker from the Taj Mahal restaurant - and taken to Exeter Police Station, where they were questioned.

Immigration officers recently raided the Taj Mahal, in the High Street, where a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man was found to be working illicitly.

The UK Border Agency believes the man had entered the UK unlawfully.

The restaurant was served with a civil penalty notice for employing an illegal worker.

The Budleigh raid was part of a series of six carried out throughout Devon.

Of seven illegal workers found, six were arrested – including the Taj Mahal worker - and taken to Exeter Police Station, where they were questioned.

Steps will be taken to remove from the country those who are found to have no right to remain in the UK.

The employers will be liable for fines of up to �10,000 per illegal worker, unless they can prove the correct pre-employment checks were carried out.

Jane Farleigh, regional director of the UK Border Agency in Wales and the South West, said: “These successful enforcement operations show that we are cracking down on illegal working across Devon.

“Our operations are based on information received and we encourage anyone who has information on illegal workers and the businesses which employ them to get in touch with us.”

Immigration minister Damian Green said the government had tasked the UK Border Agency to carry out an intense period of enforcement activity over the summer in a bid to make it harder than ever for illegal immigrants to come to the UK.

Advice for employers about how to employ migrant workers legally is available from the UK Border Agency on http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/

Anyone who has information on immigration offenders in Devon can contact the UK Border Agency on (01752) 275161.