The manager of a Hendon shisha bar has been convicted of an offence under smoke-free legislation.
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Meysan Ebra was ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling £1,347.58 for allowing the smoking of shisha pipes in an ‘entirely enclosed space’ at Casa Blanca Cafe, 4 Queens Parade, Hendon. Mr Ebra, who no longer works as manager at the café, was fined in his absence after he failed to turn up to the court case at Willesden Magistrates Court on 16 April.
The prosecution was brought after Barnet Council Environmental Health Inspectors visited the Casa Blanca Cafe on several occasions, issuing warnings to the café’s management and owners requiring them to stop serving shisha within their premises. However despite repeated warnings, Mr Ebra failed to prevent smoking in the café’s downstairs cellar.
This is the second successful prosecution for the same offence, following the conviction in June last year of the manager of the Fudu Lounge in North Finchley.
Smoke free legislation, introduced by the Government back in July 2007, was designed to protect non-smokers from the health effects associated with second-hand smoke. Shisha smoking involves inhaling smoke from a variety of flavoured tobaccos through a water pipe.
The law prevents smoking in a public or commercial enclosed space. Under the restrictions, a customer as well as the premises owners and managers can be prosecuted for failure to comply.
With a growing number of shisha smoking bars opening and a common perception that shisha smoking is less harmful than cigarettes, the World Health Organisation has issued the following advice:
- A typical one hour shisha smoking session involves inhaling 100-200 times the volume of smoke inhaled when smoking a single cigarette.
- The flavouring and sweeteners in shisha only disguise the harmful ingredients in tobacco. People who smoke shisha are increasing their chances of developing life threatening conditions such as heart disease, lung cancer and strokes.
- The water contained in the pipe does not filter out harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals.
- Sharing a shisha mouthpiece can spread infectious diseases.
- Shisha pipes omit second-hand smoke posing health risks to non-smokers.
Councillor David Longstaff, Cabinet Member for Safety and Resident Engagement said:
“Using a water pipe to smoke tobacco poses a serious health hazard not only to the smoker but to those around them. With a growing trend of shisha bars opening across the country, Barnet Council’s Environmental Health Team will be monitoring and taking action against any which fail to comply with legislation in this borough.
“We take our responsibility to residents’ health very seriously and as this case proves, we will follow our investigations all the way to prosecution if and when necessary.”
