A London nightclub has been fined for accidentally giving four people cleaning chemicals instead of salt to go with their shots of tequila.
The Tiger Tiger club in Haymarket was fined £120,000 after four people were rushed to hospital for ingesting caustic soda, which is usually used to clean drains and remove grease from ovens.
On 7 December, 2021 a group of people visited the London nightclub and ordered four shots of tequila.
The bartender realised there was no salt to hand to go with the shot and went into an unlit area behind the bar where he used a plastic cup to scoop what he thought was salt from a container on a shelf.
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According to Westminster City Council, the four people then licked the salt and drank their shots of tequila, whereupon they 'immediately became unwell', and the bartender tasted some of what he had thought to be salt.
The substance ended up burning his mouth and tongue, and he realised that it wasn't salt.
The four people were given water and then taken to hospital, while a police investigation identified a container with a label for caustic soda on it.
The police had been called to the nightclub at around 22:50 after reports of people being burned by a substance.
They had previously explained that the four people who were rushed to hospital were all women, while a man declined hospital treatment.
As a result the nightclub was closed as a precaution and the incident was not treated as suspicious.
Investigators tested the substance the four people had ingested and discovered it was 13 on the PH scale, meaning it was very strongly alkaline and definitely not for human consumption.
Tiger Tiger pleaded guilty to all four of the charges, with the judge issuing a £120,000 fine as a result.
Councillor Aicha Less said: "The shocking details of this case show a lack of attention and proper process for handling toxic cleaning chemicals.
"This incident shows that overlooking basic safety measures can have the most serious consequences.
"We hope the significant fine awarded in court acts to all businesses as a warning, preventing this from ever happening again.
"Westminster City Council’s Health and Safety Team will continue to work with all businesses in the city to make sure the highest levels of health and safety are consistently maintained, and staff are educated in safe practice."
Joe Harker