Mr Mohammed Quren, owner of the Desert’s Rose Ltd, 55 Bute Street in Luton, was found guilty at Luton Magistrate’s Court on Thursday 16 August for failing to comply with law by not preventing smoking in a smokefree place.
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Last year, officers from the Council’s health and safety and trading standards services along with the HMRC visited the Desert’s Rose and saw customers smoking shisha tobacco in an area which failed the smokefree law requirements.
Although the Council provided support and information to help the owner make the area legal, Desert’s Rose allowed smoking, putting customers and staff at risk of the harmful effects of exposure to shisha and tobacco smoke.
To remain legal and protect public and workers, smoking must be prohibited in enclosed or substantially enclosed public places. Only an area which is at least half open to the air is acceptable.
Mohammed Quren, who pleaded guilty but did not appear in court, was fined a total of £4,500 costs (including £3,000 prosecution costs).
Cllr Aslam Khan, tobacco control champion for Luton, said: “The Council works hard to enforce the law by supporting businesses and offering advice and information about the smokefree regulations, encouraging them to make changes to ensure they comply with the law. Only where businesses do not heed advice is legal action pursued.”
He added: “The law is clear and has been in place for some years. It is against the law to smoke or allow smoking where it may expose others to second hand smoke.”
Smoking shisha tobacco is legal but subject to the same smokefree laws as cigarettes and other forms of tobacco smoking. There is no excuse for allowing smoking in an enclosed area.
Do you know that an hour-long shisha session is similar to inhaling up to 200 cigarettes worth of smoke? For information on the health effects of shisha and the Luton shisha campaign see www.tobaccofreeluton.co.uk or visit www.luton.gov.uk and search for shisha.
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