An immigration raid on a Chorley restaurant has led to the arrest of seven people suspected of working illegally.

Officers from the UK Border Agency raided the Shanghai Chinese restaurant in Preston Road after receiving information that people employed there were in the country without permission.

Immigration officers, accompanied by Lancashire police, arrested seven Chinese nationals, four men and three women, suspected of working illegally.

They entered the restaurant during a busy time on December 12 and took video footage and photographs of those working there to use as evidence.

Those arrested have been placed on so called ‘immigration bail’ as enquiries continue.

The UK Border Agency said they are seeking to remove those arrested from the country and that strict immigration bail conditions meant the suspects had to report to UK Border officials on a regular basis.

Employers or those in charge of recruitment at the restaurant have also been issued with a notice of potential liability, (NOPL). This relates to three of the workers and means that the business could face civil penalties, imposed by immigration authorities, of up to £30,000.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: “We are working hard to pull the plug on the illegal jobs which lure illegal immigrants to come to the UK in the first place.

“Illegal working is unfair on honest employers who recruit staff with the right to work in the UK and who pay them a proper salary.

“Employers who don’t play by the rules face fines and could potentially end up in jail.”

The spokesman added that, should the employer be found to be liable, the level of fine imposed would depend on a number of factors, such as whether they had done the right document checks or been issued with any previous penalties.

The operation comes at a time of reform to the UK's immigration system.

The Government recently introduced an Australian-style points based system for managing migration, ensuring only those with the skills the UK needs are allowed to work.

Civil penalties for businesses who fail to carry out the proper checks when employing migrant workers from outside Europe were introduced last year, allowing fines of up to £10,000 per illegal employee.

The UK Border Agency has also started naming on its website employers who have been fined under these rules.

At the time of going to press there was nobody at the Shanghai restaurant available for comment.