A CHINESE takeaway in Newport has had its premises licence suspended for three months after employing an illegal worker.

Red Hot Goodies in Cardiff Road was found to be employing a man who was illegally present in the UK when the Home Office’s Immigration Enforcement team visited in March this year.

The 38-year-old worker claimed he had been employed for just two days and was being paid £40 to £50 per day.

The takeaway has been fined £15,000 by the home office but avoided losing its late night refreshment licence over the issue this week.

The suspension of the licence means it cannot serve hot food and drink from Sunday to Thursday 11pm until midnight and Friday to Saturday from 11pm to 12:30am.

Chao Chen, the premises licence holder, told a meeting of Newport council’s licensing sub-committee on Tuesday that he was in China seeking medical advice at the time of the home office raid.

Mr Chen said he decided to rent out the premises because of his health, having undergone two “major operations”.

But despite talking to his tenants about the takeaway’s licensing requirements and obligations to carry out employment checks, the landlord said he was let down.

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Speaking through a translator, Mr Chen said he has since ended the agreement with the tenant who employed the illegal worker.

“[The tenancy] was changed because Mr Chen was disappointed,” the translator said.

“He has been left all this hassle and all of these problems.”

The council has not previously received any complaints regarding the takeaway, and Mr Chen said he always checked people employed had a legal right to work in the UK when he was in charge.

But licensing officer Alastair Dearling said the responsibility still lay with Mr Chen as the premises licence holder.

Immigration officer Richard Johnson said the illegal worker was detained and released and is now required to report to the police where he lives.

The worker was said to be responsible for preparing food at the takeaway and told immigration officers he was paid in cash.

Mr Chen said he intends to transfer the premises licence to new tenants who are now renting the takeaway.

The licence allows late night refreshments (hot food and drink) Sunday to Thursday 11pm until midnight and Friday to Saturday from 11pm to 00:30am.

Licensing laws say revoking a licence should be “seriously considered” where illegal working is found to have taken place.

Cllr Deb Davies, chairwoman of the licensing committee, said the panel was satisfied an illegal immigrant had been employed at the takeaway.

But she said the committee also took into account that Mr Chen was away at the time, and that the individual responsible for employing the illegal worker has now been removed.

Cllr Davies said the committee also wanted to see CCTV installed to cover all food preparation areas at the takeaway.