A MALDON newsagent is facing a fine of up to £20,000 after two illegal immigrants were found working at his shop.
Immigration officers stormed Maldon Newsagents in the High Street and found two men had overstayed their visas while working at the family-run business.
Maheshbhai Patel, who has owned Maldon Newsagents for seven years, says relatives from his wife's side of the family were simply helping out at the shop because they were so busy, but he now faces a crippling £10,000 fine per illegal worker.
"It has been hard for me working here lately; I have been under a lot of stress and pressure. I have been up at five in the morning working as hard as I can," Mr Patel told the Chronicle.
"They didn't live here permanently, they just stayed overnight sometimes because they lived far away in North London."
Immigration enforcement officers from the UK Border Agency visited the shop on July 24, when checks revealed one member of staff, an Indian national, 27, had overstayed his visa.
A second worker from India, 27, who had also overstayed, was arrested after officers searched the flat above the High Street premises.
Mr Patel faces potential fines of up to £10,000 for each of the illegal workers unless he can demonstrate that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out, such as seeing a Home Office document.
The two employees are now in a detention centre while arrangements are made to deport them.
The immigration officers carried out further intelligence-led visits to four other businesses in Chelmsford on July 24 and 25, arresting five more people.
Jack Davis, from Home Office Immigration Enforcement, said: "Operations like this are carried out across the UK every day as we track down and remove from the country those who seek to abuse our immigration laws.
"The public can be a huge help and I urge people with information about suspected immigration offenders to get in touch."
He added: "Measures to toughen civil penalties against rogue businesses for employing illegal migrants, while cutting red tape for legitimate employers, have been unveiled.
"A six-week consultation has been launched as part of government plans under the Immigration Bill to make it more difficult for illegal migrants to live and work in the UK, and to take tougher action against rogue employers who exploit them."
