AN Indian restaurant in Bridgwater could lose its licence after it employed illegal workers.

The Spice Club, in Eastover, will be discussed at a meeting of Somerset Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee (North) on May 27, when councillors will decide whether to revoke the restaurant’s premises licence.

Home Office Immigration Enforcement has applied for a review of the Spice Club’s licence after it was visited by immigration enforcement officials three times between 2019 and 2024.

After a visit in June 2019, Mar Catering Ltd was issued with a £30,000 penalty for “employing two individuals who did not have the right to work in the UK”, according to Home Office documents submitted to the council.

Another visit, in October 2019, led to a further £30,000 penalty, again for employing two people who did not have the right to work in the UK, while a third civil penalty review following a visit in September last year is “still under consideration”.

Previous fines have been recalled from a third-party debt collection agency “due to the company going into liquidation”, the documents added.

Applying for the review, the Home Office 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.”

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A report submitted to Somerset Council outlined numerous incidents where illegal workers had been found at the restaurant.

One worker had admitted being employed at Spice Club – under the control of Abul Kalam – for between five and six months as a waiter, the documents said.

“He worked three days a week, from 5pm to 9.30pm and in return for his work, he received free food and rent-free accommodation from ‘the boss’, plus tips,” the report went on.

The document said the person had “entered the UK illegally in 2015 and claimed protection”, but held no right to work.

During one visit to the premises, a worker was “encountered in the restaurant’s kitchen”, the documents said, and “on seeing an immigration officer, he attempted to escape”.

The person denied working at the restaurant, telling Home Office officials he helped washing dishes in return for free food and rent-free accommodation.

As well as the illegal working claims, the Home Office also said the people were living in “poor conditions”.

“When the officers assessed the flat above the premises, they noticed that the workers lived in poor conditions,” the report said. “For instance, the walls were damp, and three adults lived in the same room.”

Calling for the license to be revoked, the Home Office said the intention was “to prevent illegal working in premises licensed for the sale of alcohol or late-night refreshment”.

The report concluded: “There is no doubt that recruiting illegal workers is a normal practice at the Spice Club.

“The licence holder/employer failed to take corrective any action following the Immigration Enforcement visits.”

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“The licence holder has deliberately and repeatedly overlooked the rules and laws in place to prevent crime and disorder,” it added.

“The licence holder would have been aware of his responsibilities to uphold the licensing objectives as they are clearly defined as part of the premises licence application.

“This report evidences multiple enforcement visits where the same illegal workers have been encountered. No corrective action was taken.

“Merely remedying the existing situation (for instance by the imposition of additional conditions or a suspension) is insufficient to act as a deterrent to the licence holder.”

The committee will consider the application during a meeting at 10am on May 27 at Bridgwater House.