Shisha bar boss fined for breaches of smoking rules
THE owner of a Curry Mile shisha bar has been hit with a bill of almost £1,500 for repeated breaches of indoor smoking rules.
Council investigators found that the Health Act was being ‘routinely flouted’ in the Rotana Cafe on Wilmslow Road.
Images released by the town hall show a haul of dozens of shisha pipes that they seized from the property.
The Health Act has for more than a decade made smoking indoors illegal. This legislation also applies to the smoking of shisha pipes.
Although the smoking of shisha has become very common in recent years, it still poses a significant health risk to the public, the town hall said.
It is estimated that smoking shisha for one hour is as damaging to your health as 100 cigarettes.
The case was brought to Manchester magistrates court.
With the owner of the premises failing to attend court, the prosecution went ahead in their absence, with a £900 fine imposed for failure to prevent smoking in a smoke-free place.
Court costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £60 will also have to be paid, meaning a total of £1,460.
Coun Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member for neighbourhoods, said: “The ongoing battle we face with shisha establishments who continue to break the law is a deeply frustrating one.
“However, just because this is a difficult issue does not mean we are going to shy away.
“These prosecutions go a long way to help the message sink in that we will not tolerate illegal shisha bars, and we will punish the owners that allow criminal behaviour to continue.”
The town hall has been cracking down on shisha bars in recent months.
In September, the council destroyed hundreds of shisha pipes and associated equipment – thought to be worth around £10,000 – from four bars operating illegally in Rusholme.