Takeaway linked to modern slavery - report

Flames is currently closed, the report states, but it has a licence to trade in the evenings

A takeaway has been accused of employing illegal migrant workers from eastern Europe, as well as modern slavery and money laundering.

A new licensing review report has accused The Flames, Lancaster, of migrant worker abuse and said £40,000 in cash had been found "crammed inside a safe".

It is also alleged that the premises licence holder, Rudolf Collaku, paid a Bulgarian woman to take part in a "sham marriage" to his cousin, and keeping her passport to prevent her from returning home.

Mr Collaku will be questioned at a Lancaster City Council licensing review on Tuesday at 10:00 (BST), in Morecambe.

'Sham marriage'

Flames is currently closed, the report states, but it has a licence to trade in the evenings and late at night until 05:00.

In the past, Mr Collaku has received one adult caution for an assault in 2006, a police report states, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He also has a conviction from 2017 for seven offences of contravening or failing to comply with EU provision on food safety and hygiene, for which he was fined and had to pay a victim surcharge at the time.

Now, Lancashire Constabulary and the Home Office are calling for licensing action following new concerns and investigations.

PC Andrew Taylor recommended the Flames licence was fully revoked, according to documents sent to the council.

The police have listed various incidents and concerns from logs over recent years.

One states: “In 2019, a Bulgarian female contacted police stating she had travelled to Lancashire from her home country and was paid for a sham marriage to a male who was the cousin of Rudolf Collaku.

"Collaku then gave the female a job at Flames where she has been subjected to labour exploitation.

"She states she has been working at Flames for five months as a cook and a cleaner, and she states Collaku has retained her passport to prevent her returning to Bulgaria.

“A warrant was executed at the premises under the Modern Slavery Act, and more than £40,000 was seized from the safe by officers.

"Of note, the safe was crammed with money, over-flowing with cash and flooded with water, and at least half of the cash was soaking, some was rotten.

'Deliberately overlooked rules'

The council licensing report added that the premises was visited five times between October 2022 and May 2024 by Home Office officers where illegal working has been a constant theme, with six illegal workers encountered.

It found that Rudolf Collaku was liable as the premises licence holder at the time, and civil penalties totalling £110,000 have been issued to the business on three separate occasions, all of which are still unpaid.

The city council report added: "Rudolf Collaku has deliberately overlooked the rules and laws to prevent crime and disorder.

"Illegal workers are often paid below the minimum wage, itself an offence, and National Insurance payments are not paid.

"These illegal workers can find themselves toiling in poor working conditions for long hours and little remuneration."