A raid conducted by UK Border Agency (UKBA) officers has resulted in four men who did not have the required UK work permits or visas in place being returned to their home country.
The men, who were all from Pakistan, were found during a raid by officers on a residential address in Chelmsford. One of the men was found to be working in breach of his visitor visa, while the other three were found to have overstayed their UK visas.
The individuals, who were all under 30, have been removed from the country after being held in detention or released on UK immigration bail initially.
Dave Butler, chief immigration officer for the UKBA, commented on the case: "The UK Border Agency is working hard to track down immigration offenders and we urge members of the public to get in touch with us if they have any information about suspected illegal immigrants or companies that are employing illegal workers."
Any businesses that might have employed the individuals during their time in the UK could still have some troubles ahead of them. Companies who are shown to have employed immigrants who do not have the right to work can be issued with fines of up to £10,000 for each worker unless they are able to prove that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out before they hired the individual.