Kandoo Sheepscar: Leeds shisha bar withdraws licence request after social media 'evidence' of smoking ban breach

Kandoo Restaurant and Lounge, in Sheepscar, had asked Leeds City Council for a late night refreshment licence to allow them to serve food until 3am.

The bar, which is located in a former carpet shop on Roseville Road, styles itself as a restaurant, sports and entertainment lounge, with shisha among the activities promoted.

Shisha smoking is done with heated, specially prepared tobacco through a pipe, according to the British Heart Foundation. Like vaping, the substance is often produced in different flavours.

However, police and Leeds environmental health chiefs had opposed the application as they claimed shisha had already been smoked inside the premises. Like cigarettes, shisha is covered by the smoking ban, which came into force in England in 2007.

In their written objections ahead of a scheduled hearing next Tuesday, the authorities published social media pictures they said showed evidence of the ban being broken.

Vanessa Holroyd, from Leeds City Council’s environmental health team, said: “The business is already trading and from the enclosed supplementary evidence you can see that smoking shisha tobacco is being carried out in the premises. Therefore, as the applicant is likely to be in breach of the Health Act, we lack confidence that they will adhere to the objectives of the Licensing Act 2003.”

Cath Arkle, from West Yorkshire Police’s licensing department, wrote: The smoking of tobacco, including shisha tobacco, inside premises is an offence under the Health Act 2006.

“Given that the licensable activities applied for are to support an illegal activity West Yorkshire Police object outright to this application.”

Kandoo’s representatives have been contacted for comment. Leeds City Council confirmed the application had been withdrawn on Tuesday morning and therefore next week’s scheduled hearing will not go ahead.