Bosses at a Preston chicken factory face a fine of more than a quarter of a million pounds after dozens of suspected illegal workers were arrested in a raid.

Nearly half the workforce at Gafoor Poultry Products in Fletcher Road, Preston, were picked up by officers from the UK Border Agency yesterday.

They included 26 men and one woman - aged between 18 and 45 - from countries including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Belarus and Jordan.

They were arrested for offences including illegal entry, working in breach of visa conditions and overstaying visas.

Five of those picked up for being in the UK illegally were also held in relation to criminal charges relating to fraud and the ID Cards Act.

All those arrested were taken to nearby police stations to be quizzed by agency officers.

The UK Border Agency said 12 of those arrested had been granted temporary release pending further inquiries and the rest are being detained at police stations across Lancashire or are in immigration detention centres pending removal from the country.

Bosses at the business will be served with a Notice of Potential Liability in relation to the illegal workers.

The employer has 28 days to provide the UK Border Agency with evidence that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out or face a fine of up to £10,000 per illegal worker.

Chief Immigration Officer, Gus MacDonald, said: "The majority of employers are law-abiding, but to tackle those who fail to carry out the necessary checks on ID documents, we've introduced fines of up to £10,000 per illegal worker.

"In cases where employers are found to be employing illegal workers, we often find they are also undercutting the minimum wage and by-passing health and safety laws.

"As long as there are illegal jobs, the UK will be an attractive place for illegal immigrants.

"That's why we have to put a stop to employers who don't play by the rules.”