Restaurant loses licence after illegal worker fine

The Home Office had called for The White Horse's council-issued licence to be revoked

A Chinese restaurant previously fined £135,000 for employing three illegal workers has now been banned from selling alcohol.

The White Horse in Longford, near Gloucester, was visited by Home Office inspectors in August last year. They found three workers from Indonesia who had no right to work in the UK.

The Home Office handed the £135,000 civil penalty to the owner's company R&R (Gloucester) and called for the restaurant's council-issued licence to be revoked.

Ahead of a licence review hearing on Thursday held by Tewkesbury Borough Council, owner Lee Yap Kheang said the business would "without doubt" have to close if it could not sell alcohol.

The White Horse was found to be employing three illegal workers from Indonesia

Mr Kheang told councillors the restaurant now employed five workers from the local community, adding: "We cannot survive without the profit revenue from alcohol sales as the economic climate for restaurants is so tough now."

He said he had worked very hard to build a village restaurant against all odds – including repeated floods.

"People rely upon me and the village is my home and its residents, my deeply valued friends," he said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council's licensing sub-committee nevertheless voted to revoke the restaurant's licence.

"We hope this decision makes it clear that serious breaches won't be ignored," a council spokesperson said.

'No pay'

Home Office inspectors had initially visited the restaurant after being told in a tip-off that Mr Kheang had been employing illegal workers for no pay, in return for food and accommodation at the restaurant.

He told the inspector the workers helped out only occasionally with minor tasks such as washing dishes and tidying the garden.

"When questioned about right to work checks, Kheang admitted to seeing the letters about claiming asylum but did not conduct any checks," a Home Office report stated.

"He further admits, 'I know they are not allowed to work.'"

Mr Kheang now has a right to appeal regarding the restaurant's licence.