Workers held at London celebrity pub

Three people face deportation from the UK after being arrested for working illegally at a north London pub popular with celebrities.

The Hawley Arms in Camden was a favourite of the late singer Amy Winehouse and other famous customers include Kate Moss, Pete Doherty and Sadie Frost.

An American woman and two Mongolian men were arrested on Saturday and are being held by the UK Border Agency (UKBA).

The UKBA said the 25-year-old woman was found to be working in breach of her visa conditions. One of the men, aged 28, had overstayed his visa and the other man, 35, had entered the UK illegally. All three now face deportation from the UK.

Steve Fisher from UKBA said: “This is the latest in a series of raids we have carried out in north London and more are planned in the future. For those who are living and working in the country illegally there is no hiding place.

“We are also targeting employers who fail to carry out the correct checks on their staff.

“My officers are happy to work with employers to help them make sure they know what needs to be done, but those who flout the rules could face big fines.”

The pub now faces a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal worker unless it can prove that the correct checks were carried out.

Ruth Mottram from the Hawley Arms told the Press Association: “We take our responsibilities as an employer very seriously and believed the staff in question to have valid UK visas. We are therefore very concerned that this problem has arisen and are working closely with the UK Border Agency in support of their investigation.”