Phantom The Lounge on Maclure Road, Rochdale, has received a closure order due to excessive levels of carbon monoxide (CO) found on site by Rochdale Borough Council’s environmental health service.
The closure order was granted at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 24 July 2026 with evidence given by council environmental health officers, alongside support from officers from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
This follows several routine inspections by environmental health officers, which found that Phantom The Lounge had been illegally operating due to smoking taking place on site in a substantially enclosed area. Officers identified this as a clear violation of the Smoke-Free regulations under the Health Act 2006.
Aside from the illegal smoking, hazardous practices in the kitchen were found to have put customers and workers health at further risk with excessively high levels of CO registered on site. This led to support requested from GMFRS and GMP.
Among them was the use of an electric fan to smoulder hot coals in an unventilated area. This meant customers and workers were being exposed to CO with levels registering over 100PPM (parts per million) in the kitchen alone. On 2 occasions GMFRS had even insisted customers and workers leave the site for their own safety.
Despite the council offering the owners a chance to resolve the issues the business refused to cooperate and continued operating without making any changes. This led to court action being brought forward as a last resort by the council’s environmental health service to request closing the business.
Councillor Tricia Ayrton, deputy leader and portfolio holder for Climate Change and Environment, said:
“The high levels of CO found put the health of customers and staff at risk. We know how deadly CO poisoning is and it's thanks to our environmental health officers and partners for stepping in that people's lives weren't put in danger any further.
Health regulations are in place to make sure business operate safely for both customers and workers. Action will be taken against businesses that fail to co-operate in achieving safe standards.”
CO is a colourless, odourless, and highly toxic gas which can cause serious ill health, loss of consciousness, and even death. The Health and Safety Executive’s workplace exposure limit guidance on CO states that workers should only be exposed to a maximum of 100PPM for only 15 minutes, or 20PPM for an 8 hour time-weighted average.