One of Bradford’s best-known takeaways has lost its licence to serve food after 11pm after councillors were told illegal workers were found in its kitchen during a Home Office raid.
Bradford Council’s Licensing Panel revoked the late-night refreshment licence for Salah’s on Leeds Road at a hearing on Tuesday, following a review requested by the Home Office.
The review centred on a raid at the business on May 30 last year, when three people found working there had no legal right to work in the UK.
The panel heard the men claimed they were being “trained” and were being paid with food rather than wages. The business was later fined £80,000, which has not yet been paid.
Salah’s is operated by Banw 2010 Ltd. Councillors were told the company’s director, Salah Rasol, had since applied to have the business struck off the register, although that move has been blocked.
The takeaway trades until 12.30am and required a late-night refreshment licence to serve food after 11pm.
A Home Office report presented to the panel said the raid followed intelligence that the business was employing staff with no legal right to work in the country.
One man found at the premises had entered the UK illegally in 2021 and had an outstanding appeal against the refusal of a protection claim. He had restricted permission to work only in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, which did not include takeaway work.
He told officers he was at Salah’s to meet friends and denied working there, despite being found in the kitchen. CCTV shown to investigators later captured him cooking food that was then taken to the counter. He later admitted helping friends prepare food in return for free meals, while claiming he was “helping, not working”.
A second man was found wearing staff uniform but claimed he was only training. He had entered the UK unlawfully in December 2021. The Home Office said he gave differing accounts of how long he had been “training”, ranging from three days to most of May 2025. He said he received no wages or accommodation, only free food while at the premises.
A third man was found standing by the fryer in a red apron. He had entered the UK illegally in March 2022. According to the Home Office report, he said a friend had told him he could get work there because he was Kurdish.
The panel also heard Mr Rasol was obstructive during the raid. The Home Office said he refused to answer officers’ questions, would not leave the kitchen when asked and attempted to hinder their contact with the workers, saying: “It’s my shop.”
The Home Office told councillors the unpaid £80,000 penalty and the attempt to strike off the company raised concerns about possible “phoenix activity” to avoid financial liability.
Jane Peel, representing the Home Office, told the hearing that illegal working is a major driver of illegal migration and leaves people vulnerable to exploitation.
She said businesses operating in this way undercut legitimate operators and can be linked to other offending, including tax evasion and breaches of minimum wage law. She added that no right-to-work checks had been carried out and that Mr Rasol’s conduct gave little confidence that a lesser sanction would be effective.
Councillors were also told that the men being paid in food instead of money pointed to exploitation.
Revoking the licence, panel chair Councillor Paul Golding said the panel had no confidence that the licence holder could uphold the licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder.