Holloway Road’s Eroma Cafe owner made to pay £1,000 for blocking pavement with tables and chairs

Ignoring repeated demands to move tables and chairs that were blocking the pavement has earned a Holloway Road cafe owner a court bill of £1,000.

Hassan Basal, licensee of Eroma Cafe, was convicted of highway obstruction at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Warnings from Transport for London (TfL) last year had fallen on deaf ears and Basal also failed to pay two fines for his illegally placed furniture.

TfL launched Operation Clearway in 2015 in a push to make the streets more enjoyable for pedestrians, and officers have since removed more than 2,000 obstructions.

Basal was ordered to pay a fine of £220, court costs of £800 and a £30 victim surcharge.

He was one of two owners convicted at Lavender Hill last week. The other was Abdullah Pisiren, who owns Troyganic Cafe and Wine Bar in Kingsland Road, who had put advertising boards outside and again ignored repeated demands to move them.

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s head of transport policing, said: “We want everyone to enjoy walking and moving around our streets without having to navigate around unnecessary and annoying street clutter.

“We are continuing to work with boroughs, businesses, disability groups and schools to help make London the most walkable city in the world.”

David Kent, an officer with Guide Dogs London, said pavements should be a “sanctuary” for blind people.

“If a visually impaired person is forced to leave the pavement to avoid an obstacle and go into the road, their safety is immediately compromised,” he said. “London’s streets are challenging enough, so this move is extremely encouraging for our clients’ safety.”