Restaurant loses licence over illegal immigrants

An Indian restaurant can no longer serve alcohol to customers after illegal immigrants were found working at the business.

Home Office immigration enforcement teams visited The Spice Club in Bridgwater three times between 2019 and 2024, with people found to be working illegally on all three occasions.

Following a request from the Home Office, Somerset Council's licensing sub-committee north voted to revoke the restaurant's licence.

The Spice Club can continue to serve food, with customers able to bring their own alcohol.

The first two immigration visits took place in 2019 when the restaurant was run by Muhammad Abdur Rahim as part of his wider business, Mar Catering Ltd.

On each of these occasions, people who did not have the right to work in the UK were found working at the premises.

This resulted in two fines of £30,000, with Mar Catering going into liquidation in 2021.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a third visit took place in 2024 when the restaurant had a new licence holder - Abul Kalam.

The Home Office then formally requested the council revoke the licence.

Immigration officer Jessica Sykes told the licensing sub-committee: "On all three enforcement visits, we encountered multiple individuals working at that premises and none of the 14 people we arrested had the right to work in the UK."

Ms Sykes said the staff in question had been housed above the restaurant, some of them rent-free or with free food, in small rooms.

She added the majority of those involved were here illegally by overstaying after visas had expired, rather than arriving on small boats.

The restaurant has until 17 June to lodge an appeal against the decision with Taunton Magistrates' Court.

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