Eight staff members found living INSIDE restaurant as licence suspended

Betsy's X Little Dessert Shop, a West Midlands restaurant located on Bore Street, Lichfield, has had its licence suspended for two months due to public safety concerns.

Previously, the eatery was permitted to operate until 2am on Friday and Saturday nights. However, a public hearing held on September 8 revealed concerns about crime, disorder, public safety, and nuisance. The hearing also disclosed that in May 2025, licensing officers and immigration enforcement officers raided the premises, discovering eight staff members residing there.

Due to severe fire risks and overcrowding, environmental health officers were compelled to issue an emergency prohibition order, requiring the occupants to vacate.

A licensing sub-committee learned that the establishment had been operating beyond the hours allowed by its licence and failing to adhere to conditions. Despite verbal and written warnings and a police station interview, the business continued this behaviour over a four-month period, reports Birmingham Live.

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Representatives of environmental health officers and police officers presented their case to the sub-committee. They expressed their lack of confidence in the management of the premises and called for the licence to be revoked.

The review of the premises licence was initiated due to worries about crime, disorder, public safety, and public nuisance. Following the arguments presented by Duncan Craig, a barrister representing the licence-holder, the panel opted to suspend the licence for two months.

Additionally, it imposed a condition on the premises licence regarding litter. The sub-committee requested officers keep an eye on the premises and to investigate any concerns related to immigration and modern slavery.

It comes after a shock report revealed the nation’s army of care workers are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than the average worker.

The report shows one in five care home workers and their families live in poverty, while one in ten have to go without food. Health Foundation analysis found 80% of UK jobs paid more than the average care worker wage of £12 an hour in 2024.

It warns many care workers are on zero-hours contracts and exploitation of care workers is on the rise. One in ten children of care home workers have to go without essentials, like a warm winter coat.

Proper pay for workers was a key demand of the Mirror’s Fair Care for All campaign, which also highlighted the collapse in access to social care over the last decade.

Patricia Marquis, director of Royal College of Nursing in England, said: “It is unacceptable that those caring for some of the most vulnerable are forced to live in poverty, unable to pay for food and use welfare payments to top up their salaries.

"It is a sad state of affairs that such a vital workforce is so poorly valued and little wonder that there are so many vacancies. When care homes cannot recruit enough staff it leaves too many without access to the care they deserve.”