CAFES and restaurants unlawfully masquerading as shisha bars have been warned they could be closed down.

Hundreds of shisha pipes were destroyed in Manchester as part of a crackdown.

In recent years there has been a trend in Manchester for existing businesses such as cafes and restaurants to transform themselves into shisha bars, taking advantage of the rising popularity of smoking shisha.

However, in most cases these transformations are often carried out without the relevant planning permission, and are therefore operating unlawfully.

In the past month 338 shisha pipes and associated equipment, worth an estimated £10,000, were seized from four bars in Rusholme.

HMRC also confiscated roughly 93kg of shisha tobacco, resulting in an avoidance of an estimated £11,500 of duty.

The owners of the venues have also been ordered to cease all trading as shisha bar or risk prosecution and unlimited fines.