Illegal workers and ‘massage rooms’ found at Yorkshire karaoke bar

On April 25 this year, West Yorkshire Police officers, licensing officers from Kirklees Council and immigration officers from the Home Office embarked on a joint operation into the employment of illegal workers in the centre of Huddersfield.

During this investigation, the authorities visited Hao Lai Karaoke Bar at 33-35 Kirkgate and discovered illegal workers, with two women detained, and one man arrested. They were subsequently placed on immigration bail due to an outstanding asylum application.

But illegal workers weren’t all that was found, with West Yorkshire Police discovering three massage rooms – two in the basement and one on the ground floor, with officers having “reasonable grounds” to suspect that “sexual services” may have been offered to clients.

Similar suspicions were had by West Yorkshire Police in summer 2024, when the force received intelligence that illicit sexual activities were taking place in the rooms below the bar. Upon visiting the premises, officers found a bed in one room, along with empty condom wrappers and baby wipes, documents explain.

At the time, officers informed the premises licence holder, who was working behind the bar, that such activities must cease immediately. Officers returned to the premises in September 2024, with the bed replaced with a massage table and “no evidence” of sexual activity present.

A letter from the premises licence holder, dated May 29, 2025, and published as part of the review application states that initially there “may have been illicit practices” which were “quickly stopped” once identified. The licence holder also claimed that they do not employ illegal workers, despite the operation finding otherwise.

Several other breaches of the licensing objectives were noted by Kirklees Council licensing officers in the latest investigation, among them: a lack of CCTV recordings; failure to maintain refusal logs; no incident log being available for inspection; and no evidence of training logs.

West Yorkshire Police has requested that the council reviews the premises licence, with this to take place next Monday (July 7). The Home Office and West Yorkshire Police have urged the local authority to “seriously consider” revoking the licence altogether, given the evidence of alleged illegal sexual activities and three illegal workers being found on the premises.

A statement from West Yorkshire Police said: “The operators have no regard for UK laws, and revocation of this licence will send a strong message to other business operators within Kirklees considering employing illegal workers. The current fine for employing illegal workers can be up to £60,000.

“The use of illegal workers may also indicate that the workers could be victims of people smuggling, or victims of modern-day slavery.”