Takeaway loses licence over illegal workers

A takeaway in Bradford has had its late-night food licence revoked after three illegal immigrants were found working in the kitchen.

Bradford Council's licensing panel stripped Salah's on Leeds Road of its right to open after 23:00 at a meeting on Tuesday.

All three men denied being employees, even though one was seen wearing a staff uniform and another an apron.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said the ability to find illegal work in the UK was a "key driver" in illegal immigration and left people "vulnerable to exploitative employers".

The licence review was called by the Home Office after a raid on the business in May 2025.

Members of the panel were told the business had been fined £80,000 over the illegal workers, but was yet to pay.

In a Home Office report presented to the panel it said one man was found to have entered the country illegally in 2021, and had an outstanding appeal against the refusal of his protection claim.

He was permitted to perform roles on the Shortage Occupation List, but this did not include working in a takeaway.

He told officers that he was at Salah's to meet friends and denied working there, despite being found in the kitchen and CCTV showing him cooking food which was then taken to the counter.

He admitted helping his friends by preparing food in return for free meals, although he insisted he was "helping, not working".

A second man was found wearing a staff uniform, but claimed he was only training. He had unlawfully entered the UK in December 2021.

A third man was found standing by the fryer and wearing a red apron. He had arrived in the UK illegally in March 2022.

The report to the panel stated: "He explained that he attended the restaurant after a friend informed him that he could obtain work there because he was Kurdish."

It added that Salah Rasol - director of Banw 20210 Ltd, which runs the takeaway -refused to answer questions during the raid and "displayed obstructive behaviour towards the officers and attempted to hinder their engagement with the workers".

Jane Peel, from the Home Office, told the meeting: "The ability to work in the country illegally is a key driver in illegal migration, and encourages people to break migration laws.

"It encourages people to use illegal routes and take risks to enter the UK illegally. It leaves them vulnerable to exploitative employers.

"Businesses like this not playing by the rules undercuts legitimate businesses. They can be linked to other crimes like tax evasion and breach of minimum wage rules.

"In this case it was clear that right to work checks had not been carried out."

He said Rasol's behaviour "is not that of a responsible licence holder", adding that his failure to engage "gives little hope that a lesser punishment, like suspending the licence, is suitable".

The panel was told the fact the men said they were only being paid with food showed they were being exploited.

Councillor Paul Golding, chair of the panel, said: "We have no confidence that the licence holder will be able to uphold one of the main licensing objectives – the prevention of crime and disorder."

The late-night licence was subsequently revoked.

Rasol did not attend the hearing, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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