A man from India has been arrested at Weybridge Register Office moments before he was due to take part in a suspected sham wedding.

Following information that the relationship may not be genuine, UK Border Agency officers attended the register office in Oatlands Drive at 11am on Tuesday, December 4.

Before the ceremony began, officers intervened and the 31-year-old man, who was due to marry a 28-year-old Hungarian woman, was arrested on suspicion of entering the UK illegally.

The woman was questioned by officers and released, while the man has been detained pending his removal from the UK.

The operation was carried out with the full co-operation of the Superintendent Registrar.

UK Border Agency assistant director Paul Smith said: “We’re working closely with registrars to clamp down on sham weddings and civil partnerships.

“Where there are suspicions that a relationship may not be genuine we will investigate and, if necessary, intervene to stop it happening.”

A sham marriage or civil partnership usually occurs when a non-European national marries someone from the European Economic Area as a means of attempting to gain long-term residency and the right to work and claim benefits in the UK.

Anyone with information about immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.