The Home Office swooped on a High Wycombe pizza takeaway and arrested an illegal worker – and the restaurant is now not allowed to sell food or drink after 11pm.

Papa John’s in Castle Street was raided by police and the Home Office on September 28, 2017 – and a man who did not have the right to work in the UK was arrested.

The licence holder, Habib Ullah, has now been ordered to pay a £10,000 fine and has lost his licence to sell food and drink after 11pm.

It comes after the Home Office applied to Wycombe District Council to review the restaurant’s late night licence following the raid.

The licensing panel at the council also heard evidence from the Home Office about another incident in 2015 where another illegal worker was found on the premises during a joint operation with UK Border Agency.

Mr Ullah was present at the time of both the 2015 and 2017 visits.

At the licensing panel hearing, Mr Ullah accepted that he had not managed the premises adequately and agreed that he had been unable to provide right to work documentation or employment records to authorised officers in 2015 and 2017.

He was also unable to confirm to the licensing panel how the individuals were paid, or whether any National Insurance and Income Tax deductions had been made.

The panel called into question Mr Ullah’s ability to run the business and have a licence to sell hot food and drink between 11pm and 5am and they revoked it.

They heard from Mr Ullah and his legal representative at the hearing.

He has the right to appeal the decision.

Cllr Julia Adey, cabinet member for environment at Wycombe District Council who is responsible for premises licensing, said the council takes the matter seriously.

She said: “We have a zero tolerance approach to illegal workers and to human exploitation.

“In cases like this where we can see that there is a flagrant disregard both to immigration laws and to exploiting vulnerable illegal workers we will use the full force of our powers to put a stop to it.”