A shisha lounge in Harrow has been ordered to pay £6,368.90 after ignoring the council’s warnings to stop serving shisha, and allowing customers to smoke in fully enclosed premises.
Vogue Lounge, based in Wealdstone, has been ordered to pay the sum after a case was heard at Willesden Magistrates Court on 13th April.
The owner, Mr Belmejdoub, built a canopy at the rear of the premises with no planning permission and illegally served shisha and tobacco.
During the case it was revealed that a visit in January 2023 found customers smoking shisha at the back of the premises where there was no way for fresh air to get in.
This meant that not only was it harmful to the health and wellbeing of customers and staff, but it also exposed the public to second-hand smoke.
A promotional video was also presented, confirming that the premises were being used for smoking shisha and other tobacco products.
Despite a warning letter issued to stop serving shisha and allowing customers to smoke, the business continued to operate illegally, leading the council to take the matter to court.
The court ordered Vogue Lounge to pay £6,368.90 for their actions.
Cllr Anjana Patel, Cabinet Member for Environment and Community Safety, said: “Belmejdoub ignored our warnings to stop serving shisha and tobacco and continued to put the public in danger of second-hand smoke.
“Thankfully the law caught up with him. It’s the job of our Environmental Health officers to ensure business owners are complying with the law and carrying out their duty of care to keep the public safe from harm.
”We are committed to keeping Harrow safe and putting our residents first – and we’ll continue to work with businesses to raise the standards and take action against the minority flouting the rules.”
The Harrow Council Environmental Health officers will continue to monitor businesses to ensure they comply with the law and carry out their duty of care to keep the public safe from harm.
