Police are appealing to review a Londis branch's licence after two students were found working illegally.

An immigration enforcement visit to the Iwade store in School Mews, Sittingbourne, on November 9 last year revealed both employees were working in excess of the 20-hour allowance stated on their visa.

Police have applied to review the shop's licence for reasons of public safety and preventing crime and disorder.

The Swale Council licensing sub-committee will meet tomorrow morning. Thursday, February 23

The store trades as Nisa Local but in the police report due to go before the panel it is referred to as Londis.

One of the workers, who had been working at the shop for a month, was arrested under the Immigration Act after he admitted to working 30 hours a week across three days.

He said he had met the boss once, but did not know his name, and the boss knew he is a student and has limits on his visa.

After it was found he was working in excess of the allowance on his visa, the worker was issued with a notice of liability to removal, which means he no longer has leave to stay in the UK and could be removed if he does not leave voluntarily.

The second worker claimed to have been studying at university for one year and working at Londis two days a week.

But checks revealed they had failed to enrol on a higher education course in September 2021.

The store has a premises licence, granted by Swale council, authorising the sale of alcohol from Sunday to Saturday, between 7am and 10pm.

The Licensing Act 2003 states that knowingly employing a person who is unlawfully in the UK or who cannot lawfully be employed, should be treated seriously, and where crime prevention is being undermined the revocation of the licence should be seriously considered.

In the application for review, PC Alexander Guise said: "It is apparent that Trio Management have displayed a total disregard and lack of responsibility for ensuring that their employees are legitimately available for employment or responsibility for promotion of the licensing objective for the prevention of crime and disorder.

"There is certain criminal activity which should be treated particularly seriously, one of these being knowingly employing a person who is unlawfully in the UK or who cannot lawfully be employed as a result of a condition on that person leave to enter.

"The employment of people who do not have the right to work in the UK is a serious crime and can be linked to the exploitation of vulnerable people.

"The ability to work illegally is a key driver of illegal migration. It encourages people to break the UK's immigration laws and provides the practical means for migrants to remain lawfully in the UK.

"It encourages people to take risks in trying to enter the UK illegally by putting their lives in the hands of unscrupulous people smugglers and leaves them vulnerable to exploitative employers.

"Employers have an important role to play in preventing illegal working by undertaking simple checks on their employees' right to work in the UK. This has not been done in this case by Trio Management."

Londis and Trio Management have been approached for comment.