Blyth restaurant and takeaway China Cook fined £10k for hiring someone without a work permit

By Craig Buchan
Published 7th Sep 2023, 15:14 BST
Updated 7th Sep 2023, 15:15 BST
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A restaurant in Blyth has been fined £10,000 for employing someone who did not have the legal right to work in the UK.

China Cook, on Waterloo Road, was visited by Immigration Enforcement officers on December 8, 2022 and one person was arrested for illegal working.

The £10,000 penalty was served on the restaurant and takeaway on January 4.

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China Cook has also been subject to two fines from Northumberland County Council in recent years for fire safety regulation breaches.

China Cook on Waterloo Road in Blyth. (Photo by Google)China Cook on Waterloo Road in Blyth. (Photo by Google)
China Cook on Waterloo Road in Blyth. (Photo by Google)

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Illegal working causes untold harm to our communities, cheating honest workers out of employment, putting vulnerable people at risk, and defrauding the public purse.

“Illegal working visits are up by more than 50% on last year and arrests have more than doubled, with more people arrested in 2023 than during the whole of 2022 as a result of this activity.

"We are also removing those with no right to be in the UK.”