'Rogue restaurants give curry houses a bad name'

Hira Ahmed runs Rim Jhim Spice in Colchester

The manager of an Indian restaurant said businesses employing illegal workers were giving curry houses a bad reputation.

Hira Ahmed said he was disappointed to hear two Indian restaurants in Essex had been fined by the Home Office after being caught employing illegal workers.

Chefs can apply for a skilled worker visa but they must be paid an annual salary of at least £38,700, which Mr Ahmed, who owns Rim Jhim Spice in Colchester, said was not feasible for small businesses.

"Getting skilled workers is a big issue in the catering industry as a whole," he told BBC Essex.

Eight people work at his restaurant, including three who travel more than 50 miles (80km) to work every day.

"I employ people locally mainly and I've been ok so far, but I can see the desperation of people and I feel sorry for them because getting people from overseas is not easy," he said.

"[Employing illegal workers] very much gives our industry a bad reputation. If one business gets caught, the whole industry gets framed badly."

Businesses found to be employing people illegally face fines of up to £45,000 per worker for the first offence, and up to £60,000 per worker for repeat offences.

Last month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced a new "intelligence-driven" plan to tackle businesses employing people illegally.

Maria Wilby said many people were being brought to the UK under false pretences

Maria Wilby, from the charity Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Migrant Action, told the BBC exploitation was "growing more than I've ever seen it before".

She said a lot of the people the charity was supporting were skilled workers.

"They are exactly the people we do want here. They could be nurses or doctors, they may be skilled chefs, and unfortunately being brought into the country under false pretences means they are being put at enormous risk."

Ms Wilby added the charity was coming across someone "almost weekly" who had been brought to the UK to work "only to find there's no job for them when they arrive".