Restaurant faces review after Home Office raid

Home Office officials raided the restaurant in September, Dorset Police said

A Dorset restaurant that the Home Office says employed illegal workers could lose its licence.

Weymouth Tandoori, in the town's Maiden Street, was raided by immigration officials on 24 September after they received information that suggested immigration offences "were routinely being committed" there.

Dorset Police has asked for the restaurant's licence to be reviewed and Dorset councillors will do so on Monday.

Jamal Uddin has held the licence for the restaurant since 2005.

In documents included on the Dorset Council website, a representative for Mr Uddin said the restaurant has operated for many years "without any causes for concern".

They said the restaurant "did check the right to work on both persons found on the premises" and, while those were "inadequate", only "knowingly employing" is a criminal offence.

The representative added that the review process has caused the restaurant owner to "reflect on his current administration of employees' right to work permissions [and] the conditions offered" and that he believes work completed "will eliminate entirely the issues identified".

Alex Fuhrmann, who represents Westham ward on Dorset Council, said the business is "well known across the town" and said he fully supports the recommendation that its licence is revoked.

But Melcombe Regis councillor, Jon Orrell, said he had received "no evidence from residents that the business is causing any nuisance, noise, harm to children or anti-social behaviour".

Dorset Police said a report by immigration officials "contains sensitive information and cannot be in the public domain".