Three men were arrested for immigration offences following a raid on an Indian restaurant in north Watford yesterday.

Acting on intelligence, immigration enforcement officers stormed Indian Sizzler, in Longspring, at approximately 5.30pm yesterday.

A Bangladeshi man, 33, and a Pakistani man, 24, were found to have overstayed their visas.

A second Bangladeshi man, aged 27, was found to be working in breach of his student visa conditions.

All three were detained pending their removal from the UK.

The owner has been warned a financial penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless they can demonstrate appropriate right to work document checks were carried out.

Inspector Robert Tompkins said: "We are working hard to identify, arrest and remove people who are in the UK illegally.

"Information from the public is a vital part of this work, and I would urge people with detailed and specific information about suspected immigration abuse to contact us.

"Using illegal labour is not victimless. It cheats the taxpayer, undercuts businesses who play by the rules and deprives legitimate job seekers of employment opportunities.

"There are simple checks employers can carry out to ensure their employees have the right to work in the UK, but those who ignore the rules will face the consequences."

  • An earlier version of this story contained quotes from a man claiming to be a customer, suggesting that Indian Sizzler was open at the time of the raid.  The Observer is happy to make it clear that the restaurant was not open to the public at the time of the raid.