THREE men were found to be illegally working at an award-winning restaurant after a visit by immigration officers.

Hyndburn Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet next week to review the premises licence of Whitecroft Indian Bar and Restaurant in Oswaldtwistle.

It comes after an inspection was carried out by the Home Office, on September 21, which found that three members of staff – two Bangladeshis and a Sudanese – were not permitted to work legally at the restaurant, owned by Rihibur Rahman.

Mr Rahman, through his solicitors, said this was the first time the restaurant has received any formal complaint regarding the conduct of his business over his four-year tenure.

The Haslingden Old Road restaurant, which was awarded the title of Best Restaurant for Lancashire at the British Curry Life Awards 2018 in October, caters for up to 100 people and operates with eight full-time employees.

The visit from immigration officers found three of Mr Rahman’s workers were not entitled to work in the UK.

One of the employees, Bangladeshi national Habibur Rahman, had provided false documents in relation to his identity.

The chef, who had worked at the restaurant for two months and stayed at the restaurant flat, supplied a false passport and fake national insurance details to the company when he started.

He was detained and remains in immigration detention.

The other two employees, Mohammed Miah and Mohammed Abdullah, were entitled to be in the UK but had no right to be in employment. They were put on immigration bail and escorted off the premises, a Home Office spokesman said.

Mr Miah, who has known the owner for three years, was seen working as a dish washer by immigration officers.

Restaurant bosses have said Mr Miah had only worked for the business on the day of the visit because they needed a dish washer in an emergency.

While Mr Abdullah, of Blackburn, whose role at the premises is unknown, was said to be working there for ‘only a couple of weeks’.

A month after the inspection was carried out, the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Team submitted an application to the local authority requesting a review of the premises licence.

Barnoldswick solicitors, Steele and Son with Bagot Heyes, has sent representations to Hyndburn Council on behalf of Mr Rahman prior to Thursday’s meeting in Accrington.

Councillors will discuss the licence review in a public meeting at Scaitcliffe House.