Interior of the Manhattan Shisha Lounge, pictured following one of the raids
Illegal Finsbury Park shisha smoking den shutdown
By Paul Harper
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
7:16 AM
An illegal shisha den where customers brazenly flouted the smoking ban has been shutdown and the owner left with a £6,000 bill.
The Manhattan Shisha Lounge ran for several months earlier this year in Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, with visitors smoking cigarettes and water pipes.
After residents raised concerns, Islington Council staff with police and fire officers raided the premises on April 4 and May 13 and discovered 68 bongs.
The owner Hanad Adulqadir Mohamoud, 27, of Wood Green, closed the cafe in June.
At Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on October 13, Mohamoud was found guilty of 16 smoke-free offences under the Health Act 2006.
He was fined £4,500 for obstruction and providing false information and ordered to pay council costs of £1,638.11
Jan Hart, Islington Council’s director of public protection, said: “This was perhaps the clearest breach of the smoking ban in Islington since the law changed in 2007.
“We’re committed to protecting residents’ health. We would much rather work with businesses than prosecute them but because this was such a serious case we had no choice.
“Many people don’t realise the dangers of shisha smoking. The smoke inhaled contains dangerous chemicals which can cause cancer and lung damage. Cigarettes were also smoked at the cafe.”
Islington Council and NHS are preparing a health information campaign to warn shisha smokers about the risks, which can include lung cancer, irreversible lung damage and tuberculosis and oral herpes from sharing dirty mouthpieces.
Businesses which want advice on smoke-free regulations should call Islington Council’s environmental health team on 020 7527 3816. For help with stopping smoking call NHS Stop Smoking Service in Islington free on 0800 093 9030.
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6 comments
This comment is especially for the benefit of David Atherton above. As as a Stop Smoking advisor, I would have to disagree totally with your statement. People who use Shisha have incredibly high Carbon Monoxide readings, this causes severe harm to a persons health. The fact the smoke is filtered through water is irrelevant.
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DTee
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The majority of adults that would use a sisha bar go there to smoke. How is the righteous Ms Hart, protecting residents health? Who else is there to protect ?
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jon
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Never mind the muggers and the crack dealers working out of LBI owned council flats, LBI go after the tobacco smokers! Pure Looney Left Islington, you really couldn't make it up...!
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ILAG
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
I fully agree with the first two comments. I have seen people using shisha pipes and could see no smoke being exhaled as it is so diluted by the flavoured water. People only go the shisha bars to use these pipes so it would be highly unlikely that there would be any non users there.
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chas winfield
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
How is giving this place a Fine protecting residents health ? Only people Wanting to use a Shisha will go in there, All these places Employ people, the more forced to close the More unemployment there is, Time for the ill thought out Smoking ban to be Reformed to give both Businesses and the Public CHOICE.
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tug wison
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The law is an ass and is braying loudly. We have a venue that appeals exclusively to one section of the community, where many people would have no desire to go. Jan Hart is a typical overpaid, patronising jobsworth who insults peoples intelligence. While Shisha smoking does have risks it is far safer than cigarette smoking as the smoke is filtered through water. The dangers of second hand smoke are zero.
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David Atherton
Wednesday, October 26, 2011