Bosses of a Wolverhampton pub which lost its licence for hiring an illegal worker said they are 'disappointed' with the decision.
Punch Taverns is now considering its next move following a hearing on Tuesday (April 2) which saw City of Wolverhampton Council revoke the licence of The Swan in Lower Street, Tettenhall.
It confirmed that the pub will remain open until the company, which has an estate of around 1,300 pubs across the country, decides what to do next.
Punch Taverns was given 21 days from the date of the decision to appeal.
At the licensing sub committee meeting, members were told that Home Office immigration officers swooped on the venue on December 11 last year, acting on a tip off.
There they found a chef who had no legal right to work in the UK. He was arrested and detained and it emerged he had been working at The Swan for up to six months, taking home £200 per week pay in cash.
A review into the licence was requested by the Home Office and backed by West Midlands Police and the council's licensing team.
Solicitor Matthew Phipps, who represented Punch Taverns at the hearing, said tenant Russell Moreton had a legal and property agreement with the company to run The Swan.
He added Mr Moreton had seen the driving licence and bank cards of the worker and had been waiting for his accountants to inform him of National Insurance information.
Mr Phipps admitted there had been a failing but said it had been an isolated mistake at a pub where there were no other issues and urged the committee not to revoke.
But the ultimate sanction was imposed as the three councillor committee agreed with the Home Office, police and licensing that the incident represented a serious breach of the licensing objective of preventing crime and disorder.
Punch Tavern's Managing Director of Operations, Andy Spencer said: "We are disappointed with the outcome of yesterday's hearing and are currently considering all of our options.
"The pub will remain open and trading throughout this process and we look forward to continuing to support our loyal customers."
