Illegal workers will be deported

The agency urges employers to check the status of workers

Three Chinese restaurant staff in Devon are to be deported after being found working illegally, officials have said.

A team from the Home Office's Border and Immigration Agency visited the Hoe Cantonese in Plymouth, where they found two men, aged 22 and 34.

Officers also visited China Chef in Plympton, where another Chinese national, aged 37, was found.

The agency said the businesses involved would receive a warning and could be the subject of prosecution.

'Robust approach'

The three were taken to Charles Cross police station for questioning and steps were being taken to remove them from the UK, an agency spokesman said.

Jane Farleigh, the agency's Regional Director for Wales and the South West, said officers were cracking down on people working illegally and the businesses which employ them.

She added: "We are taking a robust approach to tracking down people who have no right to be here and removing them from the UK.

"Many employers work with us to ensure that they only employ legal workers, but for those employers who do not take this issue seriously, our message is simple - if you employ illegal workers you could be named and shamed and face criminal charges."