The owner of a store in Reading is in trouble after a man who illegally entered the UK from Afghanistan was caught working behind the counter.
The Reading Express is a convenience store along Oxford Road within easy walking distance of the town centre.
It is located next to Saood Pharmacy in a terrace of shops with flats above, with neighbouring businesses including Aladins Fast Food, the Demain men’s clothing store and Trilogy unisex hair salon.
The store has a licence to sell alcohol from 6am to 11pm each day.
The licence is held by Ravindar Singh Arora, who is the designated premises supervisor.
But the business is in trouble with Reading Borough Council, Thames Valley Police and immigration officers after a man from Afghanistan was caught working at the store.
A report by licensing officer Anthony Chawama states the man entered the UK in May 2018 with no documents, seeking asylum.
However, his claim was rejected in July 2020. While this would have made him liable for deportation, he appealed this and is currently awaiting a decision on his immigration status.
He was caught serving customers during an inspection by council licensing officers and Home Office immigration enforcement officers on Wednesday, March 11.
Mr Chawama’s report states: “During the visit, officers encountered an employee from Afghanistan working behind the counter and serving customers.
“The individual stated that he was not employed at the premises and was only assisting the shop owner.
“He further explained that he lives in Scotland and was visiting the shop owner, staying in the flat above the premises, which belongs to the owner.
“He added that he was helping out because the owner’s wife had a hospital appointment.
“The owner of the premises, Mr Singh Arora, stated that the illegal worker had been assisting him that day, as his wife had suffered an asthma attack and he had to take her to hospital.”
Because the man has no right to work in the UK, Mr Chawama applied for the licence of Reading Express to be reviewed.
The review has been supported by police licensing officer PC Declan Smyth, who also claimed alcohol had been sold to an underage teenager last summer.
His report states: “A test purchase operation on August 22, 2025 records a sale of alcohol to a 16-year-old with no age verification or ID request, resulting in enforcement action.
“On the issue of the Afghan illegal worker, PC Smyth wrote: The individual was encountered working behind the counter and serving customers; the premises licence holder stated the person was “assisting” that day, but the papers assert that appropriate right-to-work checks were not being carried out.”
A meeting of the council’s licensing applications sub-committee will take place on Thursday, June 11 to decide on the review.
Councillors have the power to temporarily suspend or revoke the licence.
Reading Express was previously called Anrish Stores.
