Licence review for Today's Express in Stamford deferred until end of the month

A decision on whether to force a Stamford convenience store to close after it allegedly employed three illegal workers has been deferred.

A premises licence review hearing was due to take place at a virtual meeting of a South Kesteven District Council licensing committee this morning (Friday, July 3).

But members were told that neither the owner of Today’s Express, nor his legal representatives, were available and had given enough notice of their absence.

A new hearing is provisionally pencilled in for Friday, July 24, although this depends on the availability of an interpreter and other factors.

Documents made public ahead of the meeting state the shop, on Kesteven Road, was visited by police and immigration officers in March following a tip-off.

They reportedly found an Indian man working behind the counter and a Sri Lankan man and woman in the flat upstairs. None were permitted to work in the UK.

Papers also reveal the store’s owner, Arumugam Kalamohan, had been through a similar review in relation to another shop, Today’s Express on Market Place in Grantham, in October 2018. This was also in connection with an alleged illegal worker.

Members of South Kesteven District Council’s Alcohol, Entertainment & Late Night Refreshment Licensing Committee will have a range of options available to them, from modifying the licence to revoking it completely.

Lincolnshire Police have urged councillors to take the latter option.

The shop also stands to be fined between £20,000 and £60,000 by the Home Office if it is proven that any of the trio were employed illegally.