Ringo Pizza Licence Suspended for One Month After Illegal Worker Discovery
Ringo Pizza has had its licence suspended for one month following a review by Hammersmith and Fulham Council's Licensing Sub-Committee. The decision, made on Wednesday 30 September 2026, was prompted by the discovery of an illegal worker at the Fulham Palace Road restaurant.
The review was initiated by the Home Office Immigration Enforcement Team after an employee was found working without the right to work in the UK during an intelligence-led visit on 18 September 2025. Officers encountered an individual working as a kitchen porter who admitted to working there for two months without pre-employment checks. This individual stated they were aware of not being allowed to work in the UK, having arrived in March 2022 via a small boat from France and later withdrawing a claim for protection due to non-compliance. They were working in breach of bail conditions that prohibited work and had presented a false ID card to their employer. Home Office checks confirmed the individual was an illegal entrant.
The Home Office had sought the revocation of the licence, citing a £40,000 civil penalty issued to Moezali Limited for employing the individual. This penalty remains outstanding and unpaid, having been referred to a third-party debt recovery agency with no recent communication regarding its payment.
Alexandra Romano, representing the Home Office, argued that the failure to conduct proper right-to-work checks was a serious breach of licensing objectives. She expressed a lack of confidence in the new management's ability to implement effective compliance systems, stating that verbal assurances were insufficient.
Sami Rizvi, representing the current licence holder, Yousef Aga, contended that the issues predated Mr Aga's ownership. He stated that Mr Aga is committed to robust right-to-work procedures and requested that the committee consider the changes in management and the safeguards now being implemented, suggesting that revocation would be disproportionate. The issues that predated Mr Aga's ownership involved the employment of an individual without the right to work in the UK, identified by the Home Office during their visit.
The committee decided to suspend the licence for one month. Additionally, they mandated that Mr Shakeeb Ayash, the previous licence holder, is prohibited from being employed at the premises in any capacity or involved in its management. The premises licence was transferred from Mr Ayash to Mr Aga on 21 August 2026, with Mr Ayash being the licence holder at the time the Home Office submitted its review application.
The premises will also be subject to an inspection by the Licensing Authority in two months to ensure compliance with all conditions. New conditions include the mandatory use of an online compliance system for checking employees' right to work. This system will be audited at unannounced visits not less than four times a year, and audit reports must be provided to authorized officers upon request. The specific provider or detailed features of this system were not mentioned in the meeting information.
The premises licence holder must also maintain records of right-to-work checks for all employees and ensure staff responsible for recruitment are instructed on these requirements.
The opening hours for the premises have also been modified, with the premises now open to the public from Sunday to Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 AM, and Friday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 AM, effective immediately.
The committee noted that the transfer of the licence to Mr Aga occurred after the review application was submitted.
Read the full decision here: Decisions 30th-Sep-2026 18.30 Licensing Sub-Committee