A convenience store in Louth has its premises licence revoked after a male was found working in the store who was barred from any form of employment due to his immigration status.
An inspection by the Lincolnshire Police Alcohol Licensing Team has also discovered a number of breaches of licence conditions at the Premier Express store in Newmarket.
During a licence review hearing today, East Lindsey District Council licensing sub-committee agreed that the store employed the worker without making checks of his status in the country or his entitlement to work.
The committee also expressed concern at the lack of control the licence holder, Nadarajah Kirubaharan, who is also the designated premises supervisor, had over the business, and decided to revoke the license.
Officers who carried out an inspection on 4 March said they could not contact Kirubaharan despite finding a number of breaches. The illegal worker was encountered during a second visit that took place on 6 May.
“This started out as a routine compliance visit, to check the store was operating lawfully and had implemented the necessary coronavirus guidelines. What we found was a poorly run business, with breaches of the licence conditions and illegal employment taking place,” Sergeant Kim Enderby from the Alcohol Licensing Team said.
“These issues, alongside the fact that the premises licence holder could not be contacted in anyway led to the decision to submit paperwork for a licence review hearing. The licence holder chose not to attend today’s hearing, which I believe speaks volumes about the level of care he has for this business.”
The store has 21 days to appeal against the council decision.
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