Officers from United Kingdom Border Agency assisted by police officers from Whitby carried out an intelligence-led operation on Wednesday evening at the Passage to India restaurant in Windsor Terrace.

It is the the third time a Whitby business has been raided in just over a year – in October and May last year Whitby Tandoori Restaurant in the town’s train station was raided on two separate occasions by immigration officers with seven members of staff arrested in total.

In the latest raid, police officers wearing stab-proof vests surrounded the Passage to India at around 6.30pm and sealed the exits to make sure no-one escaped.

They then checked identity documents inside to establish whether employees had the right to work.

After checking the documents of staff, seven men were arrested for immigration offences and steps are being taken to remove them from the UK.

They were taken to Middlesbrough Police Station for questioning.

The business was also served with a Notice of Potential Liability in relation to six of the men, meaning they could face fines of up to £60,000.

Insp Dave Barf of Whitby police said three police officers had been involved in the pre-planned raid as support and to provide ‘community reassurance’.

And he said the men, who were of Asian appearance, were led away without incident.

A spokeswoman for the UK Border Agency said: “The UK Border Agency is carrying out operations like this one in Whitby throughout the region every week.

“We are determined to deal with that threat of immigration-related crime, and we will step in and identify those employers who are breaking immigration laws and remove those people who do not have the right to be in the UK.”

The operation comes at a time of massive reform to the immigration system.

The agency has recently started ‘naming and shaming’ employers hit with fines on their website.

And earlier this year the Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne, announced crucial milestones for border protection being introduced over the next 12 months.

These include the introduction of a new Australian-style points-based system for managing migration, ensuring only those with the right skills the UK needs are allowed to work; on the spot fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker for employers who don’t make the correct right-to-work checks and compulsory ID Cards for foreign nationals.

Anyone who suspects illegal workers are being employed at a business anywhere in Yorkshire should contact Crimestoppers on (0800) 555111 where anonymity can be assured.

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers should visit www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/ employers/ or call the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on (0845) 0106677.

The Whitby Gazette was unable to contact anyone at the Passage to India for comment.