Pakistani restaurant workers detained in Coleraine*HEADLINE TO G0 HERE

Officers went to the Indus Valley restaurant at Riverside Park East in the town on Thursday evening to carry out immigration checks on staff.

Two men aged 22 and 23 were found to have stayed in the UK illegally after their visas had expired.

The pair are being detained at a centre in Larne while arrangements are made to remove them from the country.

The Indus Valley now faces a fine of up to £20,000 - £10,000 per illegal worker - for employing the pair.

To avoid this, employers must prove that legally-required checks such as taking copies of a passport or a Home Office document were made on the men before they were taken on.

Mike Golden, of the UK Border Agency, said: “Illegal working has a serious impact on communities, taking jobs from those who are legally entitled to work and undercutting law-abiding businesses.

“All our operations are intelligence led, so we’d encourage anyone with information about people breaking immigration laws to get in touch with us whether it involved suspected illegal workers or the businesses employing them.

“We are sending a simple, clear message to people who are in the country illegally - more raids are planned and you will be caught.”