Four Shisha bars in Newham choose laughing gas over lockdown

Police issued £8,400 in fines to the four Shisha bars (Credit: Twitter / Newham police)

Newham police fined four Shisha bars thousands of pounds for violating lockdown laws last night.

The force say they also seized 13,000 canisters used to distribute nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas.

Boxes of so-called laughing gas were discovered in the lockdown-breaking bars (Credit: Twitter / Newham police)

It is illegal to take the gas for recreational purposes, but you are allowed to use it to prolong the shelf life of whipped cream.

25 fines totaling £8, 400 were issued to people in the bars, which have not yet been named.

NE Licensing Team & local officers together with LBN visited 4 night Shisha bars who disregard their own & their community’s health.
Covid fines x22 £200 fines, x2 £1000 fines and x1 £2000 fine issued.
Additionally 13000 psycho active substance canisters seized.#InspWalton pic.twitter.com/KYWlI5xzME

— Newham MPS | North East BCU (@MPSNewham) February 6, 2021

The force criticised the bars on Twitter for “disregard[ing] their own & their community’s health”.

The police have not said which Newham bars were fined (Credit: Twitter / Newham police)

For more on this story, and the latest on our other local and national news, listen to Time 107.5FM