- An Indian restaurant was among six Sussex businesses fined over illegal working breaches.
- The businesses received penalties ranging from £40,000 to £45,000.
- More than 230 firms across the UK were fined during the three-month period.
An Indian restaurant has been named among six Sussex businesses fined a combined £255,000 following immigration enforcement action over illegal workers.
New government data covering October 1 to December 31, 2025, shows that KC Restaurant Limited, which trades as Haldi Indian Restaurant in Southwater, was issued a £40,000 civil penalty. The restaurant was one of 230 businesses across the UK that received fines during the three-month period.
The figures form part of a wider government crackdown on illegal working, with employers facing substantial penalties if they fail to carry out the required right-to-work checks or employ people who do not have permission to work in the UK.
Haldi Indian Restaurant was not the only Sussex business to face enforcement action.
Simply Bengal Ltd, which operates Simply Bengal in Uckfield, and Edi's Car Wash Ltd in Hastings were each fined £45,000. Local Mart in Bognor Regis, operated by Honar Ahmed, also received a £45,000 penalty.
Meanwhile, Halsho Store Ltd in St Leonards and Popeye's Barbershop in Brighton were each fined £40,000.
Together, the six penalties amounted to £255,000 across Sussex.
The cost of getting checks wrong
Under UK law, employers are required to verify that staff have the legal right to work before employment begins. Businesses that fail to carry out the checks properly can face significant civil penalties.
In more serious cases, employers found to have knowingly hired people without the legal right to work in Britain can face unlimited fines and prison sentences of up to five years.
The Sussex penalties were sizeable, but not the largest recorded during the period. The biggest fine issued across the UK was £315,000, handed to a Somerset-based recycling business.
The latest figures suggest immigration enforcement activity remains firmly focused on sectors such as hospitality, retail and personal services, where compliance checks continue to be a key area of scrutiny for regulators.
