"Migrant workers paid below minimum wage of 'given meals only' at Balham restaurant,"

A south London restaurant has been stripped of its late-night licence after it was exposed for exploiting migrant workers.

The owner of Lebanese Garden Lounge on Balham High Road has been fined nearly £15,000 after the establishment was found to have employed five people without a legal right to work in the UK.

The workers said they were being paid well below the minimum wage, while one man said he was only receiving meals from the restaurant as pay...

Head of Licensing Caroline Sharkey said: “This case sends out two strong messages to licence holders that they must not employ people whose immigration status means they are not allowed to work and they must not exploit any staff members by paying them less than the minimum wage.

“Business owners who flout these simple rules run the very real risk of losing their licence.”

The council said Mr Ali denied claims that his staff were working illegally, but was able to "offer no evidence to support his denials and no adequate explanation was given for his paying employees less than the minimum wage"...