Torbay Council is pleased to announce it has successfully closed an illegal tattoo shop and prosecuted the owner.

On Tuesday 19 May 2015, Adam Jones of Winner Street, Paignton was convicted at Torquay Magistrates Court of tattooing at an unregistered studio at 44 Church Street, Paignton. Mr Jones did not attend court and, as such, was convicted in his absence. He was fined the maximum of £1000 with £120 costs and £120 victim surcharge.

A Torbay Council Environmental Health Officer was investigating complaints about an illegal tattoo studio on Tuesday 28 October 2014, when he entered the property on Church Street and found evidence of a tattooing shop being run. This included contaminated and discarded needles, clinical waste and other tattooing related items.

A council spokesperson said: “Anyone wishing to run a legitimate tattoo business must register with the Local Authority. Registered businesses are subjected to regular inspection in order to maintain high hygiene standards. By using an unregistered tattoo studio, the public run the risk of serious infection from poor and unhygienic practices and harm to the wider community.”

Torbay Council has recently audited all registered Tattoo Studios against the new Department of Health “Tattooing Toolkit” and the results of these visits can be viewed at www.torbay.gov.uk/tattootoolkit.

To find out more about getting a licence to run a tattoo shop go to www.torbay.gov.uk/skinpiercing or telephone 01803 208025.