ILLEGAL workers were found at a takeaway during a raid by immigration enforcement officers over the weekend.

Grillsters was visited by Greater Manchester and Cumbria Immigration Enforcement after allegations the business on Derby Street was employing staff who had no permissions to work there, according to the Home Office.

Immigration and Customs enforcement officers found 10 people working in the site.

Two males working at the takeaway were found to be working there illegally, and were found to have no valid leave to remain in the UK.

A spokesman for the Home Office said: “The government is tackling illegal immigration and the harm it causes, often to the most vulnerable people, by removing those with no right to be in the UK.

“We continue to work with law enforcement agencies to tackle illegal migration in all its forms. "Our New Plan for Immigration will speed up the removal of those who have entered the UK illegally.”

Grillsters was served a referral notice warning that civil penalties could be issued, potentially amounting to £20,000 per illegal worker if they ‘cannot evidence that the correct Right to Work checks have been conducted’, the Home Office said.

This is not the first time Grillsters, formerly Grillaz, has had a run in with the authorities in recent times.

It was the first place in Bolton to be ordered to shut under the then relatively new coronavirus lockdown laws.

It was ordered to close on August 20 last year after police and council officers repeatedly found the eatery was overcrowded, with tables seating groups adjacent to each other, and had no queue management.

Despite repeated visits and a final warning the restaurant failed to implement social distancing rules, Bolton Council said.

Officers from Bolton Council and Greater Manchester Police visited the eatery several times last August and gave advice and guidance on how it should comply with regulations.

A final warning was issued to Grillaz’s owners after no new measures to tackle queue management outside the premises were found to be in place and a closure notice soon followed. The restaurant reopened.

Owner, Asif Ilias Kantharia refused to comment on the incident.