A Port Solent restaurant has had its licence suspended for a month after immigration officers found an illegal worker on site.
Portsmouth City Council’s licensing sub-committee reviewed Casa Flamenca’s premises licence after a request from the Home Office.
On November 2, 2024, immigration officers entered the Spanish tapas restaurant and found two people with no right to work in the UK. The manager refused officers access to CCTV footage.
Both individuals were arrested and deported, but the business was later issued with a £40,000 civil penalty for one of the workers – a fine which remains unpaid.
The licence holder and designated premises supervisor (DPS), Khasru Miah, was said to have had no involvement in the restaurant since 2019.
Licensing consultant Paul Thornton, speaking on behalf of Mr Miah, told the panel that the illegal worker was the manager’s cousin – a Spanish-born American national who had travelled to the UK in September 2024 to visit family.
“He wasn’t paid or contracted to work in the restaurant,” Mr Thornton said. “He was over here for a visit, he had a return ticket – he was simply in the restaurant to pass time while his cousin was managing the place.”
However, councillor Yinka Adeniran questioned this, noting that the man told officers he worked twice a week and that his employer knew his immigration status.
“Before you employ anybody in the UK, you need to check their right to work, even if they’re your family,” she said.
Announcing the decision, sub-committee chair Cllr Emily Strudwick said: “Employing illegal workers undermines other businesses operating properly.
“Reviews are not routinely sought by the Home Office, and the non-payment of the fine today was an aggravating factor.
“The premises should be suspended for one month, and the DPS should also be removed from the licence.”
She added that while the sub-committee “came very close to revoking the licence”, members decided a short suspension was “more appropriate and proportionate”.
“The financial impact of the suspension was considered very carefully – particularly given the lead-up to the festive period,” she said.
“It is important there is a deterrent to prevent such issues occurring again, and to allow time for a new DPS to be appointed and the licence transfer to be completed.”
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