Ten people have been arrested after officers from the UK Border Agency raided a catering firm in Perivale.

Following an intelligence tip-off, immigration officers swooped on the premises of Delicious Catering on Walmgate Lane at around 1000 on Tuesday 9 June. They questioned those inside and checked their documents to see if they were entitled to work.

Six men and four women from India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were arrested for immigration offences and now face removal from the country. Three remain in custody, while the remainder were bailed while travel documents are sought for them.

Delicious Catering now face a potential fine of up to £230,000 for failing to carry out the proper right-to-work checks on the ten workers, and 13 others for whom records were discovered. The company has 28 days to prove to the UK Border Agency that it did follow regulations.

Gareth Redmond, the UK Border Agency's West London and South East England Area Director said:

'We're committed to tackling illegal working in West London. This is the latest in a series of operations my officers have carried out in the area.

'As long as there are illegal jobs, the United Kingdom will be an attractive place for illegal immigrants. That's why we have to put a stop to rogue employers who don't play by the rules.

'The majority are law-abiding, but to tackle those who fail to carry out the necessary checks on identity documents, we've introduced fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker. 'In cases where employers are found to be employing illegal workers, we often find they are also undercutting the minimum wage and by-passing health and safety laws'.

Civil penalties for businesses who fail to carry out the proper checks when employing migrant workers from outside Europe were introduced by the Government in February 2008, allowing fines of up to £10,000 per illegal employee.

The UK Border Agency has recently started naming on its website employers who have been fined under the new rules.

Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can visit www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers or they can call the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on 0845 010 6677.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be assured.