A shisha lounge in Park Royal has been prosecuted for breaking the law for a second time in six years by Ealing Council.
Bamboo Lounge located on Western Road in Park Royal failed to comply with legal requirements after ignoring warnings from Ealing Council officers in 2022 and 2023 that make it illegal to smoke shisha in enclosed spaces.
In November 2018, Bamboo Lounge was ordered to pay a fine and costs of £12,607.60 for four similar offences.
Last month (20 May 2024) at Ealing Magistrates’ Court, shisha business operator Bamboo UK Nights Ltd and its sole director, Mr Ali Al Jibouri, of the same address as the business, both pleaded guilty to three smoke-free offences. They were ordered to pay a fine and court costs totalling £27,836.99.
In May 2022, during an unannounced visit by Ealing Council officers to check Bamboo Lounge was complying with smoking regulations, officers found customers were smoking shisha inside the lounge.
The business was then given further advice and guidance on be smoke-free but visits in August 2022, February 2023 and July 2023 by council officers found Bamboo Lounge ignoring the law.
Mary McLaughlin, Ealing Council’s team leader for food and workplace safety said: “Our team carry out regular joint visits with licensing, anti-social behaviour/noise, and planning enforcement to shisha lounges across the borough to ensure the business is complying with regulations.”
“We are here to provide advice and guidance to local businesses to ensure they act responsibly and comply with the rules, and we will not hesitate to take strict enforcement action where there are serious and repeated non-compliances. The successful recent prosecutions of Bamboo Lounge and Sahara Lounge are great examples of this.”
