January 14, 2021 4.24 pm This story is over 37 months old

Grimsby Indian faces losing licence over illegal workers

£30,000 fine remains unpaid

An Indian restaurant and takeaway in Grimsby which hired illegal workers faces losing its licence next week.

Spice of Life on Wellowgate Street was fined £30,000 for employing two staff (£15,000 each) found to be working at the premises who don’t have a right to work in the UK.

This money currently remains unpaid, despite no objections or appeals submitted since the date of the breach on August 23, 2019.

During the 2019 raid, one of the officers reported a man on the roof of the building who had climbed out of a window. He agreed to come back into the building and was said to have been “visibly shaken and cried for some time before calming down.”

The premises were raided on five previous occasions by Home Office Immigration Enforcement. During visits in 2012 and 2015, workers were found to be employed illegally and were subsequently arrested.

One man, believed to be the owner’s son, was reported to be “verbally aggressive” during the 2015 visit and “disruptive” to police officers during the 2019 raid.

The Home Office Immigration Enforcement report said: “We have grounds to believe the license holder has failed to meet the licensing objectives of prevention of crime and disorder, as illegal working has been identified at this premises.”

Another Home Office report added: “Whether by negligence or wilful blindness illegal workers were engaged in activity on the premises, yet it is a simple process for an employer to ascertain what documents they should check before a person is allowed to work.”

A decision will be made on whether to revoke Spice of Life’s license in North East Lincolnshire’s Licensing Sub-Committee on January 19.