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Council secures conviction for unregistered tattooist

25th January 2018

Spelthorne Borough Council has secured a conviction of a person who had been operating an unhygienic tattoo and body piercing studio from the garage of his home in Stanwell.

Mr Arwinderjeet Garcha (known as Arviy) of Jordans Close, Stanwell was prosecuted under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1973 at Guildford Magistrates’ Court on 17 January 2018.

The magistrates heard that Mr Garcha had been operating without the necessary registration for seven years and had tattooed and pierced many people over that time. The conditions of the room and equipment found were filthy, with no hand washing facilities, no effective way of controlling infection risks and no health screening carried out. All tattooing and piercing equipment was seized from the premises.

Mr Garcha, who had pleaded guilty to the offence, was ordered to pay a £250 fine, £30 victims’ surcharge and £500 in prosecution costs.

Councillor Nick Gething, Cabinet Member for Environment and Compliance, said:

“I am very pleased that the Council has secured this conviction and stopped this practitioner in his tracks. Operating in this way poses a serious risk of spreading diseases such as hepatitis or HIV. I am only sorry it has taken so long to catch up with this reckless breach of safety standards”.

If you are considering having a tattoo or body piercing, including ear piercing and treatments such as electrolysis, semi-permanent make-up and acupuncture, I would urge you to make sure you use a registered practitioner operating in a registered premises.  These have been checked by our officers to ensure that they operate hygienically and safely.

If you have had a tattoo or piercing from this man and you have any concerns please contact your GP for advice.

Registered tattooists can be found by visiting www.spelthorne.gov.uk/tattoo

Anyone with information on illegal tattooing should report it to the Council’s Environmental Health Team by calling 01784 446291, or emailing eh.commercial@spelthorne.gov.uk