There really is no excuse in this day and age for smoking in enclosed spaces By Waltham Forest Echo
Dessert Dune in Lea Bridge Road (credit: Google Streetview)
The owner of a Leyton shisha bar must cough up more than £4,000 after letting customers smoke indoors.
On 6th December, Thames Magistrates’ Court issued Mohammed Abdus Samad, the owner of Dessert Dune and Shisha Lounge in Lea Bridge Road, the maximum possible fine.
Waltham Forest Council officers visited the business on 28th January and witnessed several customers illegally smoking shisha in an enclosed space.
Smoking indoors was banned in England in 2007 to protect people from second-hand smoke. Studies show that one hour of exposure to shisha is the equivalent of smoking more than 100 cigarettes.
Cllr Khevyn Limbajee, the council’s cabinet member for community safety, said: “There really is no excuse in this day and age for smoking of any kind in workspaces or enclosed spaces.
“We will not tolerate any degree of ignorance or carelessness that exposes the public to the dangers of second-hand smoke.
“While the council continues to work with business owners to raise standards across the borough, we will not hesitate to prosecute the minority who flout the rules.”
The company was issued a £2,500 fine, while Samad was fined an additional £250 and must cover the council’s court costs of £1,500.
Since October last year, the council has successfully prosecuted six other shisha venues in the borough for breaking the laws around tobacco.
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