Bournemouth restaurants lose alcohol licence over illegal worker concerns

Two Bournemouth restaurants have faced licensing repercussions following investigations into the employment of illegal workers. Chicken n Beer, located on Stanfield Road, withdrew its application for a new alcohol licence after its previous one was revoked in May.

The revocation followed a February incident in which immigration officials observed two individuals fleeing the premises. Cloud Brands Ltd, the applicant for the new licence, faced scrutiny from Dorset Police, who expressed “significant concerns” about the relationship between the company’s owner and the former operator of the bar. The Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council licensing committee confirmed that the application had been formally withdrawn.

Separately, Cristallo, an Italian restaurant on West Cliff Road, had its alcohol licence revoked after a raid by Home Office Immigration Enforcement (HOIE) in November 2024. The restaurant’s owner was initially fined £80,000 in January, later reduced to £40,000 on appeal, with a further appeal pending. Despite the ongoing legal process, the BCP Council’s licensing sub-committee proceeded with the licence removal, citing unpaid fees and prior suspension notices.

The committee concluded that civil action thresholds had been met for at least one, possibly two, illegal workers. In its statement, the committee emphasized that employing illegal workers “disregards the law, places those illegal workers at increased vulnerability and acts to the detriment of other businesses and the wider community.” It considered alternative measures, such as modifying or maintaining the licence, but ultimately deemed them inadequate. The licence was revoked on the grounds that the premises failed to uphold the prevention of crime and disorder, with no viable alternative to address the concerns raised by HOIE.