One of Lancashire's top Indian restaurants has alcohol licence revoked over illegal workers

Burnley Borough Council made the decision regarding Usha Indian Restaurant in Rossendale Road, Burnley, after a request by the Home Office, who also claimed that the venue had also exploited illegal workers by paying them low wages. One received approximately £3.33 an hour.

But while an appeal is underway, the restaurant - which was a finalist in the English Curry Awards 2025 - may continue serving alcohol despite the license revocation.

Immigration enforcement officers raided the restaurant in December, discovering two males working illegally in the kitchen. Usha has yet to pay a £40,000 fine, which was due in March, resulting in debt collectors being called in.

Burnley Borough Council made the decision last Wednesday and gave 21 days to appeal.

What did the restaurant say?

A spokesperson for Usha said the venue is “extremely sorry” and admitted making “mistakes”, but says it has since made robust decisions and changed its staff hiring formats. It called the move “harsh” and said it is appealing the license revocation as it believes “the authorities have got the decision wrong.”

“There is always two sides of a story, and ours hasn’t been told,” they added. “At the moment, we are concentrating on serving high-quality Indian food with your favourite beverage. We have been serving the people of Burnley and the surrounding area for over 25 years, and we intend to do so for a long time coming.”

They added: “Over the years, we at Usha have always been grateful to the community and people of Burnley, so we tried to give a little back. We have done various [charity fundraisers] to support the community, like with Burnley hospice. In COVID time, we served hundreds of vulnerable people with hot meals, which the newspapers have gladly covered.

“We only managed all this because of our customers’ support. Please don’t let this mishap stop all the good things happening. We always in our posts address ourselves as your Usha, as we think our customers are one big family, and that’s what makes Usha successful. We as a family will overcome this.”

What’s next?

If the restaurant loses its appeal at the Magistrates' Court, it will be banned from:

• Supplying alcohol for consumption on and off the premises;
• Playing recorded music indoors;
• Staging live music, a dance performance, or entertainment of a similar description indoors;
• Supplying food indoors between 11pm and 1-30am.

The Home Office claims that Usha did not make right-to-work checks before the two illegal workers started employment. They had been compensated for their work with food, money, and accommodation.

Concerns were also raised about their level of pay, with one illegal worker earning approximately £3.33 an hour and the second receiving £7.50 per hour.

In its review application, the Home Office said: “Actions such as this exploit workers as well as providing an unfair competitive advantage over businesses that adhere to wage regulations.”

The council determined in its review that Usha had failed to implement effective measures or processes to prevent or regulate illegal working. It also concluded that the prevention of crime and disorder licensing objective has been undermined and “it was clear that the Premises Licence Holder breached their duties, as no right to work checks were conducted, and no employment records were kept.”