Eight men arrested in crackdown on illegal workers

Police were involved in the raids along with immigration officials

Eight men suspected of working illegally have been arrested following a crackdown on nail bars and restaurants in Lancashire.

Four businesses in Lancaster and Morecambe were visited on Friday in a joint operation between police, immigration enforcement and trading standards officers.

Following concerns about modern slavery and suspected illegal working, five Vietnamese men were arrested at three different nail bars, one in Morecambe and two in Lancaster.

Three Bangladeshi men were later detained at an Indian restaurant in Lancaster.

'Flout the law'

Businesses which employ illegal workers and fail to conduct relevant pre-employment checks risk substantial fines, the Home Office said.

Three of the men who were detained at the nail bars either had outstanding asylum claims or appeals, said a Home Office spokesman, meaning that they did not have permission to work in the UK.

The two other men were found to have entered the UK illegally and were placed on strict immigration bail, pending travel documents being issued to facilitate their removal.

No modern slavery concerns were discovered.

Of the three men arrested at the restaurant in Lancaster, two were detained pending their removal from the UK for breaching their visa conditions.

The third man was bailed pending travel documents being issued.

Alan Bushnell, the north-west of England's immigration compliance and enforcement lead, said: "We will continue to target those who flout the law - both individuals and the businesses that exploit them."