Twickenham Tandoori licence suspended for three months

Twickenham Tandoori, located on Church Street, has had its licence suspended for three months. The decision was made by Richmond Council's licensing committee on 20 October 2025, following an inspection by the Home Office. The committee agreed to suspend the licence rather than revoke it permanently to address the identified issues.

During a visit on 8 October 2025, the Home Office discovered two individuals working in the restaurant's kitchen who did not possess the necessary right to work in the UK. A report from the licensing committee raised concerns that these individuals were performing kitchen duties without appropriate public liability insurance or health and safety training, including food hygiene.

Worker interviews and employment checks

According to the committee's report, the first individual found stated it was his first trial shift and he was preparing food without the manager having completed any right to work checks. The second individual reported that no employment checks had been carried out on him by the owner. While his immigration documents were requested, they were reportedly never provided. This individual stated he was paid £50 per week in cash by the owner for working four to five days a week as a kitchen porter.

A representative for the restaurant informed the hearing that the business would implement right to work checks for all new employees, whether on a trial basis or as permanent staff. The restaurant's operator, M HT T Ltd, had submitted a letter contesting the allegations prior to the hearing.

Civil penalty and appeal

In November 2025, M HT T Ltd received a civil penalty notice of £90,000 from the Home Office for employing the two individuals without the right to work. This penalty was subsequently reduced to £45,000. The Home Office withdrew the civil penalty related to the first individual in December 2025. M HT T Ltd has lodged an appeal against the remaining civil penalty concerning the second individual, with the appeal hearing scheduled for February.