Middleton Cheney shop with illegal worker surrenders licence
19/09/2025
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The West Midlands Immigration, Compliance and Enforcement team carried out an inspection last November
by Nadia Lincoln, Local Democracy Reporter
A shop in a Northamptonshire village has surrendered its licence after immigration officers raised concerns over it employing illegal workers.
An application to review Rai Convenience Store (also known as Sanderz News & Convenience Store), on 109 Main Road, Middleton Cheney, was received by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in August this year.
It followed an inspection carried out by the West Midlands Immigration, Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team in November 2024, where one shop employee present was identified as an ‘immigration offender’ who had overstayed her student visa, which expired in 2012.
During the illegal working interview, the worker admitted that she had worked at the shop for three to four years and was paid a maximum of £6 an hour. The Home Office report said that, from the worker’s account, “it was clear that all parties encountered were aware of [redacted] immigration status and that she had no right to work”.
A civil penalty notice of £45,000 for employing the individual was issued to Sanderz Ltd in January 2025 and payment was due by August 7, 2025. The report stated that no payment had been made and that the penalty remains outstanding at the point it was published.
The ICE team therefore proceeded to ask that the Council review the premises licence and for it to be revoked, to act as a deterrent from engaging in criminal activity.
The convenience store voluntarily surrendered its licence on September 10, ahead of a planned meeting of the WNC alcohol and gambling licensing sub-committee on Wednesday (September 17).
This means it will no longer be able to sell alcohol at any point between its opening hours of 5am to 10pm.
The convenience store has a period of 28 days after it surrendered its licence for another person to apply to reinstate the licence and transfer it from the previous holder. If there is any objection from authorities to a transfer, a separate licensing hearing would be held by the Council.
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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Ruth Parry On 19/09/2025 at 7:44 pm
so the whole village suffers because of 2 morons who didn’t follow the law. get local people to run the store from now on, they care about their community.