A Somerset village’s Indian restaurant is up before the council for a licensing review after two people were found working there illegally and a host of food hygiene issues.
Immigration Enforcement raided Yatton Tandoori on April 20 and arrested two people working illegally. Food hygiene inspectors from North Somerset Council also attended, finding food stored on the floor and stairs.
Now immigration enforcement has applied to North Somerset Council to review the restaurant’s alcohol licence. A review hearing will be held before the council’s licensing subcommittee at Weston-super-Mare Town Hall on Friday July.
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In their evidence to the subcommittee, immigration claims that one worker was waiting on claim for asylum and had no right to work in the UK, the other was a student who immigration enforcement believed to have been working more than his permitted 20 hours a week.
Marcus Johnson of immigration enforcement said: “It is the responsibility of the management and owners of the premises to conduct the appropriate immigration checks on staff before employing them and conducting these checks and only employing individuals with the right to work in the UK is a condition of the restaurants licence under the Licensing act 2003.”
Yatton Tandoori’s owners also own Nailsea’s Posh Spice, which lost its licence in April after people were repeatedly found to be working there illegally.
Mr Johnson said: “Even though the management have been informed of what checks are required before employing people in the UK by immigration officers, they have continued to do it at Yatton Tandoori.
“This is despite their licence for Posh Spice being reviewed and taken away only weeks before our visit, again showing a blatant disregard for UK immigration law and the conditions of their licence.”
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Jane Day, head of food and commercial safety at the council, said in her submission to the licensing subcommittee: “The records for this business show that, since June 2000 under the management of Mr Shaju and Mr Golap Miah, the food business has failed to achieve a minimum standard of hygiene at eight of nineteen inspections.”
She warned that on the April 20 visit open food was stored on the floor and stairs, and in “filthy conditions” in the ventilation plant room and mezzanine bottle store. She said: “Plastic containers of open poppadoms were sitting on, what would be, the ‘floor’ of the storage area.”
The kitchen’s smoke or heat detector had also been wrapped in cling film and accommodation on the first-floor had no fire doors, and its exit was through the restaurant. She also warned that foil takeaway containers were being stored on the floor of attic space which, it was believed, could be accessed by rodents.
Ms Day also raised concerns that allergen posted on display had failed to flag some foods as containing allergens which were in their ingredients.
But one person argued that the restaurant “provides a valuable service to the local community” and should not lose its licence.
Geoff Audcent submitted a representation to the council in support of Yatton Tandoori, stating: “It provides high quality and good value meals — both eat-in and takeaway — and is extremely popular and very well frequented by local people, with reduced prices on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, which helps people facing the cost of living crisis.
“In businesses of this type, alcohol sales will help to subsidise the food prices. If this restaurant was to lose its alcohol licence then the business model could be put at risk.”
He added: “I know the restaurant was found to be employing illegal workers, which obviously should not have happened, but it will face appropriate penalties under immigration and employment legislation.
“However, it would be a great shame if it is also penalised under licencing legislation, considering the excellent service it provides to the local community and the fact that the presence of illegal workers did not result to any anti-social/rowdy behaviour nor to any problems relating to alcohol abuse, as far I am aware.”
The licensing hearing will take place before North Somerset Council’s licensing subcommittee at 10am on July 14 in Weston-super-Mare Town Hall.
