A takeaway in Bridgwater has had its premises licence revoked after three illegal workers were discovered operating at the business.
Deluxe Pizza, located at 73 High Street in Bridgwater town centre, offers burgers, pizzas, kebabs, and other hot foods. Following an inspection by Home Office immigration officials in November 2024, three individuals were found working illegally on site. An £80,000 fine was issued to the business, which remains unpaid.
Two of the workers were from Afghanistan and had arrived in the UK via small boats. One arrived in September 2023 and began working in October 2024. He was paid in cash without any right-to-work checks conducted by the employer. The second Afghan worker entered illegally in August 2022 and had never held the right to work, receiving food as payment for occasional packaging work. A third worker from Iraq, aged 17 with an unresolved asylum claim, was also found on site.
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Following these discoveries, Somerset Council held two confidential hearings in Bridgwater in September 2025. Attempts by the new owner, Shivan Twfeek, to transfer the licence to himself were blocked by councillors after objections from Avon and Somerset Constabulary. The police also highlighted breaches of other licence conditions, including failure to employ door staff.
Ultimately, the council’s licensing sub-committee voted to revoke the premises licence, citing failure to uphold licensing objectives related to preventing crime and disorder. Councillor Marcus Kravis condemned the use of illegal workers as a severe breach and called on the government to review immigration enforcement policies. He criticized the £80,000 fine as unrealistic and counterproductive, suggesting more manageable penalties could encourage compliance.
This incident marks the second time in under a year that a Bridgwater food business has been targeted by immigration enforcement teams. Councillor Kravis acknowledged the complex situation faced by asylum seekers and others with unresolved immigration status, emphasizing the need for government action to address the root causes driving illegal work.
Deluxe Pizza now faces closure unless it successfully appeals the licence revocation by September 26 at Taunton Magistrates’ Court.