A Paddington restaurant has had its licence revoked after customers were found smoking shisha illegally in the basement.

Westminster City Council made the decision to revoke the licence at Al Deewan during a hearing on last Thursday (August 25), after advice from the Met Police .

There were also safety concerns, with no clear path of escape from the basement in the event of a fire.

The basement, which contained sofas and chairs and was decorated, had no openable windows, making carbon monoxide poisoning a risk due to a lack of ventilation.

Cllr Nickie Aiken, Westminster City Council cabinet member for licensing and public protection, said: “Al Deewan’s management clearly thought they could ignore the law.

"We hold our licensees in Westminster to the highest standard, especially where public safety is concerned.

"As a result, we had no choice but to revoke Al Deewan’s licence. This should be a clear message to those who ignore their responsibilities to protect the public."

Al Deewan was caught allowing shisha smoking in the basement of the restaurant on four separate occasions. This is an offence under the Health Act 2006, which prohibits smoking indoors.

One of the offences resulted in a warning, but the premises was prosecuted for the next three which took place between October 2015 and January 2016.

Mr Ali, the duty manager pleaded guilty in court on May 4 2016 at Westminster Magistrates' Court and was fined £1,515, including costs.

Representatives of Al Deewan argued to Westminster City Council’s licensing committee that hot coals were no longer in use in the basement, but e-Shisha instead.