Newham Council cracks down on sale of chewing tobacco around Green Street
The council is warning that is cracking down on the sale of cancer-inducing chewing tobacco, called paan, around Green Street in East Ham.
It comes after about 10,000 packets of paan, a mixture of nuts and spices wrapped in a leaf and widely used by the Asian community, were seized earlier in the year.
Chewing tobacco is a tradition dating back hundreds of years, and considered by some to be a palate cleanser and breath freshener. Users spit the mixture onto the pavements, leaving unsightly dark red, blood-like stain, according to the council.
Cllr Unmesh Desai, executive member for crime and anti-social behaviour, said: “Paan staining is unsightly and expensive to clean. We simply won’t stand for it. Users are risking their health —and even their lives.”
The products are associated with serious health problems such as oral cancer, serious dental problems, heart attack and stroke, and problems in pregnancy.
You may also want to watch:
To report shops selling paan illegally visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk or contact 01622 626520.
Most Read
- 1 Fried chicken outlet to open at Westfield in Stratford
- 2 Forest Gate flats bid gets green light despite neighbours' objections
- 3 Leyton Orient still looking to add one or two new signings
- 4 More than 20 places in Newham hit by flooding, council says
- 5 Engineering student wins place at Princeton University
- 6 Clean-up underway after flash floods hit Newham
- 7 A look back at floods which have devastated east London since 2016
- 8 Meet the Forest Gate pastor supporting athletes at Tokyo Olympics 2020
- 9 Kitchens from independent chefs coming to Beckton in Raymond Blanc-supported project
- 10 The secondary schools in Newham rated outstanding by Ofsted
