An illegal worker at an Indian restaurant attempted to flee out of the eatery’s back door when immigration officers came knocking.
Officers visited the Viceroy Brasserie in High Street, Abbots Langley, on Tuesday where checks revealed that two Bangladeshi members of staff were working illegally.
One of them - a 24 year old man who had overstayed his visa - tried to run out of the back door but was stopped by officers covering the exits.
Another, aged 30, was working in breach of his student visa and both were detained pending their return to Bangladesh.
The business now faces potential fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker unless they can demonstrate that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.
Laura Hoare from Home Office Immigration Enforcement said: “Operations like this are carried out across the UK every day as we continue our work to track down and remove from the country those who seek to abuse the immigration laws.
“The public can be a huge help and I urge people with information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”
Anyone with information about immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit {http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org|click here}
Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can {http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/business-sponsors/preventing-illegal-working|click here} or call the Home Office Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.