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Five illegal workers found at Zan Chinese Restaurant in Hawkhurst after visits from Home Office immigration officers

A restaurant could lose its premises licence after illegal workers were found hiding in the freezer and loft.

Zan Chinese Restaurant in Hawkhurst was fined £135,000 after it was found to be employing several immigrants without the right to work last year.

Five illegal workers were found at Zan Chinese Restaurant in Hawkhurst after visits from immigration officers. Picture: Google
Five illegal workers were found at Zan Chinese Restaurant in Hawkhurst after visits from immigration officers. Picture: Google

The High Street eatery was visited by immigration officers in March and November where a mixture of Malaysian and Chinese nationals were seen running and hiding.

Documents published by Sevenoaks council reveal how at around 6.40pm on March 22, officers visited the Chinese restaurant and found three illegal workers inside.

While immigration officers spoke with the front of house staff, four people were spotted running away and exiting the building via the kitchen door.

Two of them were arrested and the other two re-entered the building to hide inside.

One worker, who was found hiding in a cupboard in the loft, told the immigration team how he had been working for the restaurant for the past three hours answering phones and taking orders.

When questioned further he explained he lived above the premises and worked for “the people downstairs” as and when they asked and in return they would give them free food.

The restaurant was visited by immigration officers in March and November last year. Stock picture
The restaurant was visited by immigration officers in March and November last year. Stock picture

A council document added: “Questioned about which document he had shown to the employer, he stated that he had only shown his asylum ID card.

“Home Office checks showed that he entered the UK in December 2017 as a visitor for six months, he later submitted a claim for protection in the UK, which was withdrawn in December 2023 due to non-compliance, and had no right to work in the UK at the time of the enforcement visit.”

Another worker who was arrested said he fled as he “saw other people running, felt frightened, and ran with them”.

A third worker who was spotted wearing an apron in the kitchen said he was only in there because he was eating a tangerine.

When asked why he was wearing an apron, he replied: “I wore it because it looks so tidy when the customers see it, I look tidy and clean.”

‘This behaviour and repeated breach demonstrate the license holder’s deliberate disregard for immigration and employment laws...’

Owner Shaojian Chen, who had worked at the restaurant for 15 years as a chef, was questioned by immigration officers about the illegal workers and revealed they worked multiple days a week, earning around £300 a week – this worked out at about a rate of £6.25 per hour when the national minimum wage at the time of the visit was £11.44.

Mr Chen admitted he did not complete any employment checks for the workers.

On November 13, just under eight months after the first visit, immigration officers visited the site again.

This time, one worker, who was also seen during the previous visit, was seen in the kitchen area and ran to hide in a freezer. Another who was spotted cooking in the kitchen said she lived upstairs and was cooking herself dinner.

When Mr Chen was questioned on the second visit, officers said he was “irate and uncooperative”.

The licence review report added: “Immigration enforcement visited the premises on two different occasions.

Zan Chinese Restaurant is next to The Royal Oak Hotel and Restaurant in Hawkhurst
Zan Chinese Restaurant is next to The Royal Oak Hotel and Restaurant in Hawkhurst

“On both visits officers encountered individuals working at the premises whilst not holding the right to work.

“On March 22, there were three illegal workers encountered at the premises. In this instance, the license holder admitted that all three employees worked at the Zan Chinese Restaurant and specified tasks, work shifts and payment.

“He admitted that he did not conduct any pre-employment or right to work checks as he did not know the rules.

“At the second visit conducted on 13 November 2024, further two illegal workers were encountered. One of them was already encountered at the first enforcement visit. The license holder refused to cooperate with officers during the second visit.

“This behaviour and repeated breach demonstrate the license holder’s deliberate disregard for immigration and employment laws by continuing to employ an individual who did not have the right to work.”

After the eatery’s second visit from immigration, no civil penalty notice was issued and ,consequently, a No Action -Notice was issued in January.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are determined to clamp down both on illegal working and the exploitation of illegal workers.

“Organised Immigration Crime is a multi-million pound industry, which stretches from the trafficking routes thousands of miles away through which people are brought to our country to the high streets across Britain where many of those people end up working illegally.

“As part of our plan for change, this government is taking action against that criminal industry at every level, including stepping up our raids on restaurants, car washes, nail bars, construction sites, and other businesses where illegal working is taking place, and increasing our arrests of illegal workers and the people who employ them.”

Zan Chinese Restaurant has been approached for comment.

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