Acton Shisha lounge fined

Al Diyar repeatedly broke the law on allowing smoking in a confined area

A shisha lounge in Acton and its director have been prosecuted and fined thousands of pounds for repeatedly breaking smoke-free laws.

Aldiyar Ltd, trading as Al Diyar, in High Street, Acton, and its director, Hussein Abdalkazim Hussein, registered at the same address, pleaded guilty to the offences at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court last month  (3 March).

The court heard they had failed to prevent smoking in a smoke-free area and did not display the required no-smoking signage.

Al Diyar was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay a £1,000 victim surcharge. Hussein was fined £3,000, ordered to pay £2,223.70 costs and a £1,000 victim surcharge. As a result, he now has a criminal record.

Ealing Council officers visited the shisha lounge in July 2024 and customers were seen smoking shisha in an enclosed space, which is illegal. The business failed to act on advice and warnings given to them, and when officers returned in December 2024 they found them still in breach of the law.

The popularity of shisha smoking is rising but research has found it can be as harmful as smoking cigarettes. A World Health Organisation report in 2017 found that waterpipe tobacco smoke contains ample quantities of the toxicants known to cause diseases in cigarette smokers, including cancer.

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, a member of Ealing Council’s Cabinet, commented:

“Protecting public health and safety is a top priority for the council.

“Every business has a duty to operate responsibly, and when they repeatedly ignore smoking laws, we will not hesitate to take the strongest possible action. Since 2023, 15 businesses in the borough have been taken to court for similar matters and ended up being fined a total of more than £70,000 for breaking the law.”

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