Bournemouth restaurant fined £40K and stripped of licence over illegal workers
A Bournemouth restaurant has lost its licence after employing illegal workers
Last updated 2nd Sep 2025
A restaurant in Bournemouth which employed illegal workers has had its licence revoked.
Cristallo, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth was visited by Home Office Immigration Enforcement (HOIE) after intelligence was received about illegal workers at the premises.
The restaurant’s owner, Zubair Dastagir, was given a penalty of £80,000 on the 9 January 2025.
The fine was then reduced to £40,000 after an appeal was lodged, and a case is currently ongoing in civil court following a second appeal.
The committee revoked the licence on the grounds that the premises is not upholding the prevention of crime and disorder licensing objective.
In their decision the committee said, “The employment of illegal workers disregards the law, places those illegal workers at increased vulnerability and acts to the detriment of other businesses and the wider community,”
The committee was told that the licence for the premises is suspended as payment has not been made to renew the licence despite reminders.
During the meeting Russell Angel, Home Office Immigration Enforcement, said “the ability to work illegally is a key driver of illegal migration”.
Adding that “It encourages people to take risks in trying to enter the UK illegally…leaving them vulnerable to exploitative employers.”
Russell Angel went on to tell the committee that illegal working can be linked to other issues like “tax evasion, breach of the national minimum wage, and exploitative working conditions.”
Brendan Herbert, Lacey’s solicitors, represented Zubair Dastagir during the meeting and told the committee it would be “Unreasonable and disproportion” to revoke the licence.
When answering questions from the committee Brendan Herbert said the implication that workers received food as payment was not accepted, as the worker was there to train so instead of wasting food they allowed them to take food home.