Residents who could be living near a street with three shisha lounges held a public meeting to discuss potential anti-social behaviour problems.
The Monega Residents’ Association, based in Forest Gate, chose the flavoured tobacco - usually smoked through long pipes - as the subject of its August meeting.
Some residents have complained that shisha lounges attract anti-social behaviour and Newham Council closed down an illegal lounge held inside a marquee at the back of a restaurant in Katherine Road in March 2010.
Two more premises offering shisha are proposed on the same road so Matthew Collins, principal environmental health officer for Newham Council, attended the meeting at the Katherine Road Community Centre to discuss their concerns.
Bob Rush, Chairman of the Monega Residents’ Association, said “This was not a meeting calling for the banning of Shisha, but to find out more about the traditions of Shisha, the law, the religous perspective, and health risks involved.
“I think we all came away with a better understanding, and with at least another two Shisha lounges proposed along Katherine Road it is something we needed to understand quickly.”
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