Botanic Avenue prosecution follows one for Lisburn Road cafe earlier this month
A second cafe in a month has been fined in Belfast for allowing hookah smoking on its premises.
The owner of Sahara Shisha, a café on Botanic Avenue, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a failure to prevent people smoking shisha within his premises.
Mr Mesut Savcun was fined a total of £1350 plus costs of £79 for breaching smoke-free legislation under The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.
Belfast City Council brought the prosecution following repeated visits to the cafe by Tobacco Control Officers. On five occasions, officers witnessed people smoking shisha within the enclosed premises.
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Earlier in May, the owners of Lova Coffee, a Middle Eastern café on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, were also fined for breaching smoke-free legislation under The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.
Mayar Coffee Limited, registered at 133 Lisburn Road, were fined a total of £1100 plus costs of £128 at Belfast Magistrates Court on May 5 after pleading guilty to the charge of failure to prevent people smoking shisha within their premises.
Shisha is a form of flavoured tobacco heated by charcoal and smoked through a water pipe or hookah. Originating in the Middle East, it is a popular social activity involving a bowl, hose, and water-filled base that cools the smoke before inhalation. It is covered by smoking legislation and is allowed in areas which are open air, or in which at least 50 percent of the building or structure is permanently open.
A spokesperson for Belfast City Council said, “Under The Smoking (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, it is against the law to smoke in enclosed and substantially enclosed workplaces and in public places such as bars and offices, as well as work vehicles and public transport.”
“This legislation was introduced to protect workers and the public from exposure to second-hand smoke. It is enforced across the city by our Tobacco Control Officers, who seek to support businesses to operate good practice and to comply with the law. However, we will take action against illegal practice which puts people at risk.”
The council said: “The Belfast Agenda lays out Belfast City Council’s vision for all residents to experience improved health and wellbeing by 2035. Affirmative action to reduce smoking, and the danger of second-hand smoke inhalation, feeds into this strategy, and helps to create a healthier Belfast for everyone. Our Tobacco Control work is supported by the Public Health Agency and the Department of Health.”
Also on Tuesday, in a second prosecution success for the council, landlord Patrick Brady was fined £250 for illegally evicting a tenant from his rented accommodation. He was also ordered to pay £78 costs at Belfast Magistrates’ Court after unlawfully evicting his tenant from accommodation at Oranmore Street, West Belfast.
Local councils can investigate complaints about landlord harassment or illegal eviction of tenants and have powers to prosecute landlords for these offences.
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