Hereford Indian restaurant loses licence

A long-established Indian restaurant in Hereford has lost its licence to sell alcohol and late-night food due to alleged repeated immigration offences.

A review in private of the licence of Taste of Raj in St Owen Street was called following a “multi-agency tasking and enforcement operation” at it and other Hereford businesses on May 2.

Herefordshire Council’s licensing subcommittee of councillors heard from licensing officer Harry Spriggs that the raid had found that the restaurant “was employing individuals who did not have the right to work in the UK, and (that) a number of conditions on the licence were not being followed”, according to minutes of the meeting.

Council officers wanted its licence revoked, given that conditions attached to the licence after previous immigration offences had been broken.

The meeting was also addressed by police and immigration officials and by Taste of Raj’s premises licence holder, though their contributions are not recorded in the minutes.

But these do record that the sub-committee “was not persuaded by the premises licence holder’s submissions that the individuals in the kitchen were not working but were present for a social event”.

They were more convinced by evidence from police and immigration officials that these individuals were seen preparing food, with one apparently dressed in work clothing.

Agreeing to revoke the restaurant’s premises licence, the subcommittee explained that the grounds for the review was “the prevention of crime and disorder, in particular, the prevention of illegal working and immigration crime at a licensed premises”.

It regarded the breach of immigration law as “serious, together with the previous breach of the licence for the same issue”.

The council earlier said it was not publishing submissions to the meeting, nor allowing press and public access to it, “on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information”, including information “in connection with the prevention, investigation or prosecution of crime”.

Taste of Raj’s licence previously allowed it to serve until midnight and until 11.30pm on Sundays under provisions for “late night refreshment”. But its posted hours are now until 11pm, for which no such licence is required.

The restaurant was approached for comment.

A separate meeting last week to review the premises licences of Marmaris Kebab and Sizzler, two takeaway restaurants in nearby Union Street, was postponed.