A MAN has been deported after being caught working illegally in Comet country. A 22-year-old man from Pakistan, who had overstayed his visa, was arrested working at McDonald s on the Monkswood Retail Park in Stevenage on Thursday, as part of a raid by the

A MAN has been deported after being caught working illegally in Comet country.

A 22-year-old man from Pakistan, who had overstayed his visa, was arrested working at McDonald's on the Monkswood Retail Park in Stevenage on Thursday, as part of a raid by the UK Border Agency.

He was flown out of the country on Saturday.

A 41-year-old Nigerian woman, who had entered the UK illegally, was also arrested on Thursday, at McDonald's in Town Square, Stevenage. She has been charged with possessing a false document and bailed.

The arrests came after McDonald's franchisee Mike Ghazarian tipped off immigration, believing the employees had used counterfeit documents to gain employment.

Neither Mr Ghazarian nor McDonald's will face a fine for the illegal workers.

Jon Greenbank, chief immigration officer at the Immigration Team Essex and Hertfordshire, said: "The UK Border Agency supports and encourages businesses to comply with the rules and we are happy to work with employers like Mr Ghazarian. Businesses who ignore the rules, however, can expect to get caught and to get fined."

In a bid to tackle bosses who fail to carry out proper checks on workers from outside Europe, a fine of up to �10,000 per worker can be imposed for every illegal employee found at a business.

Anyone who suspects illegal workers are being employed, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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