Protesters demonstrated outside the Byron burger restaurant in Oxford tonight following immigration raids on the chain's London branches.

A small group gathered outside the restaurant in George Street from 5pm to 7pm singing songs and holding up placards and banners. 

It is part of a number of protests planned against the burger chain across the country this weekend.

Last week the Home Office said 35 people from Albania, Nepal, Egypt and Brazil were arrested for immigration offences at several Byron restaurants across London.

It added that the operation was carried out with the "full co-operation" of Byron.

Hannah Murray, who organised Oxford's protests through Facebook, said: "Our message is that this sort of collaboration with border control is unacceptable.

"Byron employed these people and they worked probably for minimum wage for them and then they fully co-operated in their arrest and deportation."

The 34-year-old from East Oxford added: "I fear that other big chains will start doing something similar and hopefully our protests will highlight that people think what Byron did is wrong and prevent other companies from doing the same."

In a statement Byron said: "Byron was unaware that any of our workers were in possession of counterfeit documentation until the Home Office brought it to our attention.

"The Home Office recognises that Byron as an employer has always been fully compliant with immigration and asylum law in its employment practices.

"We have cooperated fully and acted upon the Home Office's requests and processes throughout the course of their investigation: it is our legal obligation to do so."