FIVE suspected illegal immigrants were being questioned today after a swoop on one of Brighton's top restaurants.

They were led away from the China Garden in Preston Street by police and immigration officers and kept overnight at the John Street police station.

Today the five were taken to an immigration holding centre at Gatwick Airport for further interrogation.

An Immigration Service spokesman said: "This was one of several intelligence-led raids we are conducting at the moment.

"We rely on a variety of sources for our information and often work with police, benefits agencies and others."

The China Garden, close to Brighton seafront, has been running 20 years and is a favourite night spot for celebrities and politicians during conferences.

Proprietor Kwai Cheung said the raid came as a surprise and he stressed it was still business as usual at the restaurant.

He said three of the five were not employees but were taking part in a two-week training course the restaurant runs.

One was from Malaysia and two from China.

The other two, he said, had proper visas, although he believed one had run out - "he forgot to renew it in January."

Mr Cheung insisted: "We do not employ illegal people. We are a limited company and we can't afford to get a bad name."

He said the running of the restaurant was not affected by the arrests and added: "We have 22 people working here and we are getting ready for the start of the busy season next month."

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