FOUR suspected illegal workers have been found at two Dorchester takeaways following raids by immigration officers.

The first raid took place at the Golden Lotus in Trinity Street, where officers found three Chinese men with no right to work in the country.

Two men, aged 23 and 37, were arrested and taken to Weymouth police station, following the Wednesday evening operation by the UK Border Agency.

They were detained overnight before being interviewed yesterday when it was confirmed they had entered the UK illegally.

A third Chinese man, known as an immigration offender, was dealt with at the scene.

All three must now report regularly to a local police station, while the agency secures the travel documents necessary to remove them from the UK.

A second raid on Wednesday night occurred at the Tiger Chan takeaway, Mellstock Avenue, at 9.30pm.

A 33-year-old Indonesian kitchen worker was arrested after it was found he had stayed in the UK illegally after his visitor visa had expired.

He was also taken to Weymouth Police Station and will remain in immigration detention pending an outstanding immigration appeal.

If he is found to have no right to stay in the UK, he will be removed from the country.

Tiger Chan manager Helen Evans said: “He was a student, learning English here.

“He told us that his passport was due to expire so I went to the Citizens Advice Bureau and then to Grenville Walker Solicitors in Weymouth to make an appointment for him to apply for a work permit.

“They told me he must go and see a solicitor in Bournemouth so I passed on the details to him.

“It’s such a shame because he was so eager to stay here, we believed that he had gone to see a solicitor about the application.

“We’ve run the takeaway for three-and-a-half years and we’ve never had any problems before.”

Both takeaways were served with civil penalty notices for employing illegal workers.

If the employers are unable to provide evidence that legally-required checks were carried out before giving the workers jobs, a fine of up to £10,000 for each offender will be imposed.

The intelligence-led raids were part of a planned nationwide crackdown by the UK Border Agency over the summer to tackle illegal working, sham marriages, bogus colleges and organised immigration crime.

Denise Addison, president of the Dorchester chamber of commerce, said: “Dorchester is a vibrant town but you only need a few of these illegal workers and it means that other legitimate people are not getting the opportunity to work.

“One of these businesses is facing a possible £30,000 fine, which is a warning to everybody and might make them think they won’t do that again.”

Jane Farleigh, regional director of the UK Border Agency for the South West, added: “This successful operation shows that our officers will find immigration offenders wherever they are across Dorset and we carry out frequent operations to track them down.”

Anyone who has information on immigration offenders in Dorset can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.