A Tower Hamlets company has been fined £34,000 and the company director handed a suspended sentence after it sold face masks and hand sanitiser during the pandemic which did not give enough protection against Covid.
Tower Hamlets Council’s Trading Standards found in July 2020 that Posh Fashion Ltd, in Whitechurch Lane, E1, was selling the hand sanitiser which only contained 35 per cent ethanol, nearly half of the required level of 60-80 per cent for effective germ killing. The labelling indicated it contained 75 per cent ethanol.
The face masks the shop was selling were also found to not meet the appropriate standards.
The company and its director, Khalil Ullah Zarguly, each pleaded guilty to three offences of misleading commercial practices, contrary to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, and appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 13 July for sentencing.
His company was fined £34,000 and Mr Zarguly was sentenced to 34 weeks’ custody, suspended for 12 months, and will have to complete 60 hours community service within twelve months. He and the company were also jointly ordered to pay £21,000 in costs.
Non-compliant face masks purchased by the company had previously been seized at Heathrow, which had led to the visit by Trading Standards. In addition, Mr. Zarguly had also previously received a warning from Trading Standards about the need to ensure that products he sold were legally compliant and given advice on the steps that could be taken to do so.
Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman said:
“The Covid pandemic was a fraught time for many.
“This company took advantage of this concern and used it to for their own gain, which is completely unacceptable and put people’s health at risk.
“The council warned companies about buying fake personal protection equipment, but this was clearly ignored. I am very pleased that this case was taken so seriously by the courts, reflected in the high fine and suspended prison sentence.”
The Councils Environmental Health and Trading Standards Officers are qualified investigators and carry out regular inspections of businesses to protect the health of the public and hold businesses to account. The officers will always take the strongest possible action against any breaches of food safety and trading standards to ensure that public safety is protected within the Borough. These two cases demonstrate the tenacity of Officers with the investigations they undertake.
To report any concerns, email food.safety@towerhamlets.gov.uk and trading.standards@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Posted on Friday 4th August 2023