The Licensing Sub-Committee of Richmond upon Thames Council met on Tuesday 20 October 2026 to review the premises licence for Twickenham Tandoori. The committee decided to suspend the licence for three months due to concerns about illegal working at the premises.

Twickenham Tandoori Licence Review

The Licensing Sub-Committee heard an application to review the premises licence for Twickenham Tandoori, located at 33 Church Street, Twickenham TW1 3NR. The review was initiated by Home Office Immigration Enforcement, who cited concerns regarding the prevention of crime and disorder due to alleged illegal working at the establishment.

During the hearing, the Sub-Committee considered evidence presented by both the Home Office and the premises licence holder. The Home Office presented findings from an enforcement visit on 8 October 2025, which identified two individuals working at the premises without the right to do so. The report detailed interviews with the individuals and a senior waitress, indicating that the owner, Mozaid Hussain, was aware of the immigration status of at least one of the workers. The Home Office guidance under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 states that employing individuals who are disqualified from working due to their immigration status should be treated particularly seriously, and that revocation of a licence should be seriously considered in such cases.

The premises licence holder, represented by David Dadds, initially requested an adjournment of the review pending the determination of an outstanding County Court appeal related to a civil penalty issued to M HT T Ltd for employing illegal workers. However, this request was later withdrawn by the Home Office representative, Alexandra Romano, who stated that the review would proceed.

After careful consideration of all evidence, the Sub-Committee decided to suspend the licence for a period of three months. The reasons for this decision included concerns about the public safety implications of individuals working without appropriate insurance or training, and a lack of confidence that the premises was being run responsibly. The Sub-Committee noted that while the Home Office had initially sought revocation, a suspension would allow the premises time to ensure its policies and practices uphold all licensing objectives.

The meeting also included a procedural discussion on the conduct of the hearing and a confirmation that there were no declarations of interest from the committee members. The press and public were excluded from the consideration of the review itself due to the likely disclosure of legally privileged information.

The decision notice was issued on 27 October 2026, and the applicant and any person who made a relevant representation has a right of appeal to the Lavender Hill (South Western) Magistrates' Court within 21 days of receiving the notice.

The full details of the application and the decision can be found in the Public minutes of the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting.