TOUGH new rules on immigration are threatening the quality of Indian and Chinese food in Swindon, say restaurateurs.

Until now Indian, Bangladeshi and Chinese restaurants, often run by families, have relied on foreign labour to maintain quality, say business owners.

But now new immigration rules mean fewer foreign workers are being allowed into Britain - and that could threaten food businesses' survival.

Enam Chowdhury, who runs the Ganges restaurant in Wootton Bassett says the rules all but ban workers from outside the EU from getting one and two-year work visas.

He is now heading up a group called the Bangladeshi and Chinese Restaurateurs to fight the introduction of the rules, and has met Michael Wills, North Swindon MP and a Government minister, to discuss the new guidelines.

"We need people from south Asia as cooks, chefs and for numerous other roles," he said.

"I need people in my kitchen that know the backgrounds of the food they are cooking. Without them the quality suffers.

"Much of the time we cannot recruit the staff from Britain because there just isn't the resources. There is a shortage in Swindon.

"This trend is very worrying.

"If I lose my current chef I don't know where I will get another one. Last year I had planned on opening another curry house but had no idea how I was going to run the place with no staff. That is how bad it is."

Mr Wills believes that the south Asian restaurants are important to the community.

He said: "This trade is important both culturally and economically to the town and I will be doing whatever I can to help."

Mr Chowdhury, along with numerous backers from other restaurants, say that they are not taking the issue lightly.

A few weeks ago they even organised a bus to travel from Swindon to join a 10,000 strong protest in London, staged to demonstrate against the new rules.

Under the new immigration points system, which came into force in February, chefs need to speak English and have academic qualifications to work and live in the UK.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "Our new points based system will be part of the biggest changes to the immigration system in decades.

"We know many people will be anxious about the rules because they are becoming tougher.

"The Immigration Minister has specifically asked the chair of the Migration Advisory Committee to speak to employers in the industry in order to ensure that their concerns are taken into account."