Alcohol ban after Brierley Hill shop caught with illegal workers
A store in Brierley Hill has been banned from selling alcohol for a month after being caught employing who didn't have the right to work in the UK.
Silver End Convenience Store on Brettell Lane was raided by immigration officials who found two people working on the premises who had both outstayed their visas.
One of the people caught had not had the right to work in the UK since 2009 while the other person had arrived in the country in 2020 and their visa expired in 2021.
The responsible licence holder for the shop, Mrs Nandakumare Kasinthan, was called to appear before Dudley Council’s licensing sub-committee on Tuesday (October 21).
Naga Rajesh, an immigration consultant, told the committee: “My client made a mistake, my client did not do this intentionally. They are sorry for what they did and will take the consequences without any challenge.”
At the hearing, Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers with support from West Midlands Police requested a review of the shop’s licence to sell alcohol on grounds related to the prevention of crime and disorder.
The company operating the shop, Tn7 Retail Ltd, had already been served with a civil penalty of £90,000 for the employment of the two illegal workers who were caught and taken into custody in January 2025.
Councillors on the committee were told no appeal against the penalty had been lodged and payment was still outstanding in April 2025 when it was due, so the case was referred to a debt collection agency.
Mr Rajesh told the committee a payment scheme had now been arranged and the penalty would be settled at the rate of £2,500 per month.
Further concerns were raised about low pay after one of the men detained said he was receiving the equivalent of £6.25 per hour while the other man told investigators he was not getting paid but getting food and accommodation.
Mr Rajesh told the committee the shop had six long-term members of staff who were paid monthly while the two illegal workers had only very recently been employed before they were caught.
He added: “Before they employed these two, all the staff were long standing workers; they had no restrictions on their working rights, they never had this issue.
“Regarding the minimum wage, the information provided by the staff member was not the right information.
“The person mentioned received a fixed amount which covers more than the hours he normally worked, he doesn’t know why he said that.”
In their submission to the committee, Immigration Enforcement asked for the shop’s licence to be revoked arguing anything else would not be a sufficient deterrent to shop owners from employing illegal immigrants.
West Midlands Police added: “Employing illegal workers is not a minor oversight, but is a serious criminal offence.
“Given the seriousness of these offences, West Midlands Police submit that no additional conditions or suspension of this licence would be sufficient under these circumstances, and support Immigration’s opinion that revocation of this licence is the only option available to prevent further offending.”
Councillors were told the current licence was issued 10 years ago and there had been no previous problems at the store.
The committee imposed a one-month suspension of the licence and added a number of conditions including that casual staff who are not correctly trained should not be left in charge of the store at any time, even in an emergency.
