ENFORCEMENT officers raided businesses across Gwent as part of a UK Border Agency purge.

A total of 18 immigration offenders were found during a week-long series of raids across the area, based on intelligence received by the border agency.

On October 13, officers visited Nisa Stores, Aberthaw Road, Newport, where a 29-year-old Pakistani man working behind the counter was found to have entered the UK illegally.

Another raid on the same day, took place at Sing Lee restaurant, Cross Street, Abergavenny, where three men, aged 31, 33 and 36, were found working in the kitchen and another 36-year-old man was found in attached accommodation.

Officers also visited USA Nails, Commercial Street, Newport, where three Vietnamese men, aged 19, 20 and 36, were found to be failed asylum seekers who had not lef the UK when their bids were turned down.

On October 14, two Pakistani men aged 23 and 26 were found working illegally at Shahbaz Tikka, on Commercial Road, Newport, a 45-year-old Pakistani man, who was found to have stayed in the UK after his visa expired, was found working behind the counter at Hot Spot, Carmel Street, Abertillery.

Six men working at Hand Car Wash, Chepstow Road, Newport, three from Iraq aged 22, 27 and 28, an 18 year old from Iran, a 30 year old from Ghana and a 20 year old from Palestine, were all found to be working in the UK without permission during a raid on October 16. The premises closed after officers left as no-one was left to serve customers.

Officers also visited Hand Car Wash on Cromwell Road, Newport, on the same day and found a 24-year-old Iraqi man, was found to be a failed asylum seeker.

All seven businesses were served with civil penalty notices, warning that if the employer fails to provide evidence that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out, they could be fined up to £10,000 for each illegal worker.

David Griffiths, head of the Gwent local immigration team, said: “These are the latest in a series of operations we’ve carried out to tackle immigration offences in Gwent and more are planned.”

Six stowaways were also found on a Caldicot-bound Belgian beer lorry in Calais last week. The six would-be illegal immigrants, originally from India, were discovered by a sniffer dog working with border agency officers.