Hayat Restaurant, a Turkish eatery at 25 The Oval in Sidcup, had its premises licence revoked by Bexley Council's Licensing Sub-Committee on June 25, 2026, following Home Office requests. The decision came after immigration officers found three illegal workers during two visits in 2025.
Immigration visits uncover illegal workers
The South London Immigration, Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team first visited Hayat on April 10, 2025, identifying two Uzbekistani men with no right to work in the UK. A second visit on August 14, 2025, found a Turkish man also without work authorization. The Home Office issued two civil penalties totaling £135,000 to The Oval Sidcup Ltd, the company then operating the restaurant, which is now in liquidation and has not paid the fines.
Owner claims unfair treatment
Current owner Mehmet Celik took ownership of Hayat on August 11, 2025, and began operations the next day. The second Home Office visit occurred just two days later on August 14. Celik told the committee he had no time to conduct right-to-work checks, stating “everything was very fresh.” He argued the first visit occurred before his involvement and called the revocation “not very fair.”
Celik’s legal representative, Simon Francis, argued that revocation was “disproportionate” and suggested stricter conditions or a short suspension instead. He acknowledged that the right-to-work check system was “not as robust, structured or clearly documented as it should have been” but claimed it had since been addressed.
Home Office disputes claims
Home Office representative Alexandra Romano disputed that checks had been properly implemented. She noted that the Home Office detected only one instance of Celik conducting right-to-work checks on the GOV.UK website, which occurred just three days before the June 22 committee meeting. Celik claimed he performed manual checks since August but provided no evidence. Romano called it “too little, too late” and said a robust policy was required, not just something on paper.
The Licensing Sub-Committee sided with the Home Office, revoking the licence. This means Hayat can no longer sell alcohol or sell hot food after 11pm.
Appeal and previous ownership
Celik said he would appeal the decision, citing anxiety during the hearing: “I was expecting some kind of punishment, but this is too much for a business that has just been running for two days.”
During the first immigration visit, the business was co-owned by Alexandra Paiu. She stated that she and her husband cooperated fully with authorities and that the two individuals were paid the same wages as other staff. She emphasized that ownership changed between the visits and that the licence was revoked after they sold the business. She also noted significant public harassment following the original article.
