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Immigration officers raided an Indian restaurant last night in the middle of a Ukip conference dinner.

Leadership runner-up Lisa Duffy witnessed the incident as she took her 10-strong entourage for a commiseration curry.

The Huntingdon councillor, who campaigned hard for immigration controls in Ukip's leadership contest, said: "It is a bit ironic really."

Despite the incident, there were no arrests and officials later established the restaurant had made all the proper employment checks. No action has been taken against the restaurant.

The unusual coincidence happened as Ms Duffy hosted a dinner for her staff hours after coming second to new leader Diane James.

They arrived just after 7pm at the Indian Ocean restaurant in Bournemouth when they saw "about six" border force officers.

(Image: Matt Cardy)

Ms Duffy told the Mirror: "When we went in the immigration officers were there, then we were put to our table which was adjacent to the door."

She said the immigration team came out of the kitchen with a man in his 20s or 30s who then ran off - a claim the restaurant's manager dismissed as "rubbish".

"As somebody else came through the door, this particular gentleman, who they had, managed to flee away from them down the hill," she said.

"They were walking with him and I think they were going to take him to their van but he managed to run away.

"We were the last people admitted in and then they stopped taking guests at one point because obviously they were then under a little bit of pressure being able to serve everybody.

"Then after that, once it was all over, they started admitting guests back into the restaurant.

"They handled it extremely well, very professionally. They came to all the tables and apologised that there would be a slight delay in serving."

(Image: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Ms Duffy's campaign manager Jay Beecher claimed the incident was his "highlight" of Ukip's annual conference.

He added he couldn't help seeing "the irony and the funny side", and the "real comedy" came when he was told there had been "minor complications".

Ms Duffy - who campaigned hard on "integration" and was compared to Donald Trump for vowing to ban the burqa in public buildings - said she "felt sorry" for the man, but still defended the raid.

She said: "I think it's the right thing to do. It's the only way they're going to find illegal immigrants.

"I certainly personally don't have a problem with it".

Home Office sources said the raid was prompted by intelligence, but the restaurant provided evidence that it carried out all the required pre-employment checks.

Indian Ocean restaurant manager Medi Miah said the claim that someone ran off was "rubbish".

He added: "Immigration covered the whole restaurant and nobody went out, nobody went in. They wouldn't allow it, there were so many of them.

"There were no problems. All the papers, files, copies of passports, we showed to them and they left.

"I understand they're doing their job, it was a busy night and that was it.

"We don't employ illegal immigrants and why should anybody run away?"