• Newham cracks down on shisha dangers and non-compliant premises
• Suspected illegal premises visited and tobacco seized in raids by Newham Trading Standards, Licensing and Environmental Health, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police
Newham Trading Standards joined forces with the Met Police to visit three suspected illegal shisha bars uncovering significant mis-use of tobacco products and non-compliant premises, contributing to anti-social behaviour and potential licensing violations.
Legal shisha is regulated in the same way as cigarettes and other tobacco products. It is illegal to allow the commercial smoking of shisha indoors, the products are subject to tax and excise duty, and must not be sold or supplied to anyone under the age of 18.
In addition to the expected health risks from exposure to or inhalation of tobacco smoke, the use of shisha in unregulated and illegal indoor venues also poses a significant fire risk.
As a result of these visits, a total of 20kg of tobacco products were seized for further investigation.
Councillor Amar Virdee, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Crime, said:
"This was a successful collaborative operation targeting the suspected illegal supply and use of shisha products in unlicensed and potentially unsafe premises."
“The recent seizures of 20kg of non-compliant products reflect our commitment to a safer borough for residents and visitors alike. Illegal and unlicensed venues pose a significant risk to anyone using them, but also to the wider community with the threat of fire which is associated with them.”
If you have information about the sale of Shisha or illegal tobacco in Newham, please report it via Citizens Advice Consumer Advice line on: 0808 223 1133; or report on this website in confidence, anonymously.
Alternatively, you can also report information via the London Trading Standards consumer crime tool. You can report information that is associated with people dealing in fake, illicit, unsafe products, or the sale of age-restricted products to children.
If you wish to report an urgent crime in progress, please contact 999. Alternatively, if you have been a victim of anti-social behaviour, please report it to the Metropolitan Police on 101.
