Hereford restaurant seeks licence again

A Hereford Indian restaurant whose premises licence was revoked earlier this year is seeking a new licence under a different named individual.

Four Bangladeshi men were arrested at Taste of Raj in St Owen Street during a multi-agency raid in December, leading to Herefordshire Council’s licensing subcommittee, in a private sitting in February, revoking its licence to sell alcohol, and also hot food after 11pm.

It appears this licence, in the name of Jamal Ali, had only been granted the previous autumn.

This had followed a previous revocation by the committee of the restaurant’s licence last July, after a similar raid the previous May found illegal workers on the staff.

Previously a joint police and border agency operation in December 2018 had also found staff apparently working without permission to do so. But a licence review the following March did not lead to the licence being withdrawn on that occasion.

Now the restaurant is seeking a new licence under the name Israk Ali, to serve hot food until 11:30pm and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and also to sell alcohol until 11pm and until 11:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Its application can be commented on May 13.

West Mercia Police was asked whether it would be commenting, as it has done previously.

Depending on the views submitted, the application may again be determined by the licensing subcommittee.