Two meat processing firms could be fined a total of to £70,000 after the UK Border Agency raided their factory this morning (Thursday).

Officers arrived at Kestrel House - home of The Great Food Company and Gilbert Kosher Foods - in Mount Farm industrial estate, Bletchley, at about 10am.

Inside, Agency staff interrogated a total of 56 employees and spent two hours separating those who were legally entitled to work in the UK from those without correct permits.

Seven men were suspected of working illegally; five from The Great Food Company - three of which were arrested at the scene, and two from Gilbert Kosher Foods.

Of those from The Great Food Company those arrested were all men of Sri Lankan origin who may also face charges for counterfeiting documents.

From the same firm two other men were found to have multiple identities meaning they would be taken to their homes for more

From the second firm, Gilbert Kosher Foods, a further two men were discovered to be working unlawfully while their asylum application was being processed.

Both firms share the same managing director who was served with two 'notices of potential liability,' meaning he could be fined up to £10,000 per person knowingly employed illegally.

Outside the factory UK Border Agency area director Gareth Redmond told the Citizen: "This has been a good result, following our intelligence to lead to these arrests.

"We take illegal working incredibly seriously, from the individuals themselves to the employers - the UK Border Agency deports one person every eight minutes."