TWO illegal immigrants are facing deportation after they were caught working in Suffolk.

TWO illegal immigrants are facing deportation after they were caught working in Suffolk.

Specialist officers from the UK Border Agency pounced on two businesses in Ipswich and Felixstowe after receiving intelligence the men were being employed unlawfully.

The team arrested a 37-year-old Sri Lankan man when they swooped on the Ruhana off licence in Upper Orwell Street in Ipswich on March 12.

After sealing all the exits and searching the premises, it was discovered the man had overstayed his visa and had been using a Belgian passport.

Later that day, the immigration officers moved to the Posh car wash in Langer Road, Felixstowe, where they apprehended a 26-year-old man from Kosovo, who had entered the UK illegally.

The UK Border Agency is now taking steps to remove both men from the UK as soon as possible.

Gail Adams, regional director of the UK Border Agency, said: “We are working hard to pull the plug on the illegal jobs which lure illegal immigrants to the UK in the first place.

“Employers who don't play by the rules will get struck off our register, lose the right to recruit staff from outside Europe, face on the spot fines and could potentially end up in jail.”

A tough new civil penalty system was brought in last year to provide a fast and effective way of tackling bosses who fail to carry out proper checks on workers from outside Europe.

A fine of up to �10,000 can be imposed for each illegal worker found at a business.

Guidance for employers on preventing illegal working can be found on the UK Border Agency website at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employingmigrants or by calling the UK Border Agency Employers Helpline on 0845 010 6677.

Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed in Suffolk should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.