TWO Bangladeshi men have been arrested by Home Office immigration enforcement officers in Ringwood.

The Home Office confirmed officers visited the Indian Tree restaurant in Market Place and found the men, aged 28 and 30, to be working in breach of their visa conditions.

The men were transferred to immigration detention pending removal from the UK.

Four other men aged 25, 25, 29 and 32, were also found to have no permission to work in the UK.

They were escorted from the premises but not arrested and have been ordered to report to the Home Office regularly while their cases are progressed.

The business was served with a notice warning that a financial penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker found will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right-to-work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.

This is the second time the Indian Tree has been raided, resulting in illegal immigrants being deported.

The restaurant was fined £25,000, after being raided on June 7 in 2012.

Ringwood Town Council clerk Steve Nash said: “I understand everyone wanting a better life for themselves and their families, but the immigration rules are there to protect everyone. It stops those coming to this country for work from being exploited or abused by unscrupulous employers and ensures everyone pays their contribution to society.

“While I have every sympathy for those trying for that better life, I have no sympathy at all for employers who flout the system and would expect them to be suitably punished."

Prosecutions take place in cases where employers knowingly and deliberately use illegal migrant workers, often for personal financial gain. The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and an unlimited fine.