An Oxford bar paid £6,949 for shisha posts that broke tobacco advertising law

Spirit Bar Ltd, which operates Thirst Bar on Park End Street in Oxford city centre, was ordered to pay almost £7,000 after admitting illegally advertising waterpipe tobacco products — shisha. Oxfordshire County Council trading standards officers identified numerous Facebook and Instagram posts featuring waterpipes, shisha prices and promotional content for the venue's shisha garden; the evidence included photographs, videos, hashtags and signage. The company pleaded guilty to a single offence under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 and was ordered to pay £6,949.16.

During the investigation the company admitted the posts were intended to promote the venue and attract customers, and acknowledged using shisha-related hashtags and imagery across its platforms. The adverts remained online for weeks after officers brought them to the attention of one of the directors — the part both trading standards and the councillor stressed, the council noting tobacco advertising has been prohibited for many years because of the known harm from tobacco products.

£6,949.16 in fines, costs and surcharges after pleading guilty to one offence under the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002

The company admitted the posts were meant to promote the venue and attract customers.

The adverts stayed online for weeks after officers alerted one of its directors.

Ordinary social-media marketing — photos, hashtags, price references — is advertising under the 2002 Act.

The posts covered several years of content, not a single campaign.

A decades-old advertising ban still governs social media: photos, hashtags and price mentions of tobacco products are advertisements. Post-warning removal speed matters.

Trading standards says it will continue to act when businesses unlawfully promote tobacco products, as part of ongoing work to reduce the promotion of tobacco across Oxfordshire. The conviction and £6,949.16 payment stand following the 2 October 2026 hearing.