A UK restaurant has had its licence revoked after authorities discovered that some employees were not legally permitted to work in the country. The Bird in Hand in Oulton was found to have employed two individuals who were working illegally.
Licence Revoked Following Home Office Investigation
Members of the Cumberland licensing sub-committee convened at The Civic Centre in Carlisle on Monday, June 15, to review the premises licence and subsequently revoked it. The decision followed a Home Office report from April 25, 2025, which detailed an enforcement visit by officers from the North-West London Immigration, Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team. The visit was prompted by intelligence suggesting the business owner employed individuals without the legal right to work.
According to the report: “During the enforcement visit officers encountered two individuals working at the premises and the owner. The two individuals were both subsequently confirmed to be working in breach of their legal right to work in the UK.”
Following the visit, a civil penalty of £80,000 was issued to Adam Tandoori Limited on October 8, 2025, in relation to the two individuals found to be working in breach of immigration conditions. The company did not submit an objection to the penalty, and no payments have been made to date. The penalty remains outstanding.
No Representation at Hearing
Representatives from The Bird in Hand did not attend the hearing, as reported by News and Star. Councillor Jeanette Whalen (Yewdale, Labour), the committee chairwoman, stated that the sub-committee had reached a decision after carefully considering the application for review.
Whalen said: “The sub-committee notes that the premise license holder has not engaged with the review process and has not attended the hearing. The sub-committee is satisfied that appropriate notice of the hearing was given, and considers it both reasonable and appropriate to proceed, to determine the application in their absence.”
She added: “The sub-committee has, therefore, taken into account the lack of engagement by the premises license holder, which is satisfied that it is able to reach a fair and informed decision based on the evidence before it.”
Evidence of Immigration Breaches
Whalen continued: “The sub-committee accepts the evidence of immigration enforcement that two individuals were working at the premises in breach of their immigration conditions. The sub-committee finds that appropriate right to work checks were not carried out, and that individuals were permitted to undertake work at the premises, including serving customers and working behind the bar.”
Whalen also noted that the sub-committee had found this “was not an isolated incident” for the business.
Right to Appeal
Under The Licensing Act 2003, if representatives from The Bird in Hand intend to appeal against the decision, they must lodge an appeal at a magistrates’ court within 21 days of the decision notice.
