A SHOP which continues to flout immigration laws and alcohol sale policies could lose its licence.

Premier Store on Whitley Street will be thrown under the microscope after two Indian men were found serving customers after overstaying in the UK.

Reading Borough Council's Licensing Applications sub-committee will hold a hearing on January 4 after several other breaches were identified.

Inspectors found one Indian man during a visit in October 2013 and Premier repeated the offence when Immigration Enforcement officers revisited on June 8.

The current licence holder, Gurnam Singh Madan, will have the chance to defend the business after council staff raised concerns about the Challenge 25 policy.

Richard French, part of the council's Licensing team, said: "The employment of illegal workers is to be regarded as a crime that should be taken particularly seriously and that revocation of the premises licence - even in the first instance - should be seriously considered.

"Allowing this premises to continue to operate with the benefit of a premises licence will merely serve to perpetuate the criminal activity and human exploitation already apparent.

"The only appropriate and proportionate step to promote the licensing objectives and safeguard the public as a whole, is for the licence to be revoked."

It is not the first time Premier Store has been criticised, following concerns about the shop's CCTV system and evidence of the unauthorised sale of alcohol.

PC Simon Wheeler from Thames Valley Police shared the 'serious concern' of Mr French adding: "The employment of illegal workers is a criminal activity which has serious impacts on society and can have serious and real implications connected to modern day slavery.

"It is of serious concern that the premises continued to employ illegal workers and not rectified this situation."