Whitechapel cafe refused booze licence by Tower Hamlets council

AN EAST End caf� owner who was fined for allowing his customers to smoke shisha was refused permission today to sell booze and play music into the night. Mohammed Abdul Kashim applied to Tower Hamlets council to provide alcohol to his customers from 4pm

AN EAST End caf� owner who was fined for allowing his customers to smoke shisha was refused permission today to sell booze and play music into the night.

Mohammed Abdul Kashim applied to Tower Hamlets council to provide alcohol to his customers from 4pm throughout the week at Caf� Fresh in Commercial Road, Whitechapel.

He was also hoping to get the green light to host a one-man jazz band until 10pm and to play CDs until 10.45pm.

But Mr Kashim was facing objections from the Metropolitan Police after he was caught breaking the smoking ban and forced to pay a fine for allowing customers to smoke shisha pipes in the basement of the caf�.

Officers also claimed that the smoking of the flavoured tobacco had triggered an increase in anti-social behaviour around the area with teenagers seen coming out of the caf�, drinking booze, smoking cannabis and snorting cocaine on street corners.

The council's Licensing Sub Committee refused the application at the Town Hall this afternoon.