An off-licence in Greenford will keep its licence despite hiring an illegal worker and paying him below minimum wage.
Ealing Council’s Licensing Subcommittee decided against revoking the licence for Oldfield Circus Local, at 57 Oldfield Circus, instead enforcing new conditions. Immigration enforcement visited the store on November 29, 2025 when they found one lone-working male.
This man initially gave false details to the officers. However, once obtaining biometric data and the worker’s real name, officers concluded he was an “absconder.”
The worker had his protection claim with the Home Office withdrawn in 2023 meaning he had no right to work in the UK for three years when found at Oldfield Circus Local. In his interview with immigration enforcement, he told officers that he had been working at the store for four months.
He also told the Home Office that he was paid £6 per hour, however this is disputed by the Premises Licence Holder, Mr Dilleg Gabba. Mr Gabba claims that he paid the illegal worker a total of £8 per hour.
Despite the contradicting accounts, this still means that the illegal worker was paid below the minimum wage (£11.43 per hour at the time) for four months by between £3.43 and £5.43 per hour. As he was paid cash in hand, there are no payslips to verify either account.
Additionally, because Mr Gabba paid the worker cash in hand, no income tax or national insurance was paid on the earnings. Mr Gabba has been fined £40,000 by the Home Office and he must pay it by May.
A representative from the Home Office told councillors that the behaviour of this individual on a routine visit in September 2025 sparked concern. During the September compliance visit advising about illegal working, the illegal worker gave an “adverse reaction” which led to officers returning in November.
Representatives for Mr Gabba argued that this was the first time since he had taken over the shop that there had been any licensing or enforcement issues over a total of 11 years. Mr Gabba insisted that this was an isolated incident which he regrets and apologised for.
Mr Gabba accepted that he had not conducted any right to work checks and said he trusted advice from other shops in the area that the man had worked at. On their visit, licensing officers also found nine bottles of non-duty paid Polish alcohol.
Mr Gabba told councillors buying this from “a man who came into the shop” was a mistake, and his representatives argued there was no malicious intent. Mr Gabba said he wasn’t intending to sell the illegal booze, he was “just keeping it there.”
Councillors did not revoke the licence and argued that would be disproportionate, and instead enforced new conditions. The licence holder is now required to conduct and document mandatory right-to-work checks for all staff before they commence employment, retaining these records for at least 12 months.
Additionally, the shop must maintain a written log of annual staff training on these compliance checks Finally, all alcohol must be sourced exclusively from legitimate, registered UK suppliers, with detailed invoices and delivery notes kept on-site for immediate inspection upon request.
