The owner of a shisha bar in Salford has been fined for allowing people to smoke on the premises.
Reflexion Lounge on Salford Quays was found guilty in their absence to two offences of smoking in a smoke free place at Greater Manchester Magistrates Court on Thursday 11 August 2016.
The company was fined £2,000, made to pay costs of £906 and a victim surcharge or £100.
The case began when environmental health officers visited the Reflexion Lounge after receiving a complaint. No owner or director was present so officers left a letter of advice for their attention.
After several more complaints, council officers arranged a meeting in August 2015 with two directors of the business. They were told that people should not smoke on the premises and action needed to be taken. The directors said they advised customers they should not spoke in the premises and pointed to no smoking signs on the walls of the building.
In January an unannounced visit was made, with police, and people were found to be smoking inside the building. Mr Maithm Alsalah was interviewed under caution where he admitted to being in control.
Councillor David Lancaster, Executive Lead Member for Community Safety and Environment at Salford City Council, said: “A business owner should know better than to allow paying customers to smoke in their building as the smoking ban has been in place for more than 10 years.
“Officers went out of their way to meet the directors to give advice, which was ignored, so we had no choice but to prosecute. Any other business that allows smoking will also be prosecuted – it is just not acceptable.”
