A shisha lounge in Edgware and its owner have been ordered to pay £6,643.50 for putting public health at risk by allowing customers to smoke indoors, in breach of national health and safety regulations.
Lunaa Lounge repeatedly disregarded laws that prohibit smoking inside enclosed spaces. Despite numerous warnings and guidance from authorities, the lounge continued to permit customers to smoke shisha indoors. This led to serious concerns about the risks posed by smoke inhalation to the public.
The Commercial Safety Team first became aware of the issue in 2021 when they were informed that a structure was being built at the venue specifically for serving shisha. From April 2021, officers made several attempts to assist the lounge’s owner, Mr. Almarzoq, in addressing the problem. However, despite receiving advice and warnings, no steps were taken to safeguard the health and wellbeing of customers.
The lounge’s management claimed the structure was for security reasons and insisted that shutters were open during business hours. They also stated they were unaware of the requirement to display ‘no smoking’ signs.
In November 2023, officers conducted a visit and found the lounge fully enclosed, with customers smoking shisha inside. Due to the continued breach of regulations, Environmental Health officers had no choice but to pursue legal action.
At Willesden Magistrates Court on July 18, both the lounge and its owner pleaded guilty to the charges. They were ordered to pay a total of £6,643.50, covering fines, council costs, and a victim surcharge, for allowing smoking indoors and failing to display the required no-smoking signs.
Cllr Pritesh Patel, Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets and Public Safety at Harrow Council said: “Shisha lounge owners should be well aware of the harmful effects of second-hand smoking. The national ban on smoking in enclosed areas is not something new, so there is no excuse for flouting the law.
“Almarzoq and his company had numerous attempts to comply with the law. He decided to ignore our warnings, so we took him to court. I hope this sends a message to anyone else who thinks they can operate like this. We will continue to support local businesses to comply with the law and encourage any shisha business to seek our advice to ensure they are compliant with the law.”
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
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