IMMIGRATION officers stormed an Oxford hairdressing salon, before leaving without making any arrests.

Eight UK Border Agency officers raided Versus Hairdressers in Cowley Road – where the staff are all British.

Instead of discovering illegal activity, the officers were faced with five shocked hairdressers.

Owner Ian Snowdon said: “They stormed through the door, I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know if there was a bomb or if it was a robbery.

“They were shouting at us, telling us to drop our scissors and to tell them our addresses and dates of birth.”

He said the officers said they were from the Border Agency and had evidence to believe there were illegal immigrants working in the shop.

But when Mr Snowdon was showed the warrant, he said they had the wrong address, although the name of his business was right.

He said: “I couldn’t believe the irony of it. I think we are the only shop in Cowley Road that only has British people working for them because we specialise in Caucasian hair.”

He added the staff and customers were made to sit on a sofa in the back of the shop and answer questions.

Mr Snowdon said: “I had three big blokes stood over me. I’m not being funny but I’m a hairdresser not a bouncer.

“One of our hairdressers, Clara Dawe, who was seven months pregnant, was shaking like a leaf.”

Mr Snowdon said once the officers realised there were not going to be any arrests, they left without apologising.

He said: “When they were leaving, the last one out said ‘enjoy your day’.

“I’m very upset and shaken. All my staff are girls who have worked with me since they were 15 and they came straight from school. Most of us have been there 10 years or more.”

Bernadette Downes, 60, was getting her hair cut at the time of the raid at about 11.30am on Thursday.

She said: “I was sitting there and they all rushed in through the door. I expected The Sweeney theme music to start. It was really nervewracking, I was quite shocked.”

Border Agency spokesman Adam Edwards said: “Officers visited an address in Cowley Road in Oxford just before 12pm on Thursday, March 3, using a warrant obtained from a magistrate. No arrests were made and disruption was kept to a minimum. All staff were allowed back to work within five minutes. Officers left within 15 minutes.”