Immigration officials raided an Indian restaurant during a Ukip party conference dinner - sending the chef fleeing, a spokesman said.

[attach id=532885 size="medium"]Photo: Jay Beecher/PA Wire [/attach]

Lisa Duffy had headed out for a curry with her campaign team after finding out she had lost her bid to replace Nigel Farage as Ukip leader.

But when the group turned up to be seated a group of border officers emerged from the kitchen at the restaurant by the seaside in Bournemouth.

Watching our chef running away into the night, his apron flapping in the wind, was a surreal moment

Ukip has long campaigned for tougher border controls to crack down on illegal immigration.

Jay Beecher, a spokesman for Ms Duffy who was at the dinner, told the Press Association: "Watching our chef running away into the night, his apron flapping in the wind, was a surreal moment.

"Politics can sometimes be such a stale and serous affair, so you have to see the funny side of things.

"In this case too, I couldn't help be tickled by the irony.

"Overall I'd give the chef in question's performance a zero out of 10 marks for quality and service. But it definitely has to be a whopping 10 out of 10 for speed."

Staff were questioned to check they had the right to live and work in the UK and no action was taken against the business as the employer was able to provide evidence that the required pre-employment checks had been carried out.