SHISHA bars in Bolton have increased tenfold in the last five years — but now a charity has warned that smoking the water pipe can be as dangerous as cigarettes.

There are now ten shisha bars in Bolton, up from just one in 2007.

The British Heart Foundation this week issued a warning that shisha smoking is linked to the same kinds of diseases as cigarette smoking, including heart dis- ease, cancer, respiratory disease and problems during preg- nancy. The charity says many people are unaware of the risks involved with shisha, which is also known as hookah, hubble bubble and narghile.

Across the region, 47 per cent of local authorities have seen a rise in the number of shisha bars.

Nearly one in ten adults in the North West surveyed for the BHF thought there were no health harms from using shisha, and just 44 per cent knew shisha could contain tobac- co.

But during an hour-long shisha session a shisha smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as from more than 100 tobacco cigarettes, the charity says.

BHF associate med- ical director Dr Mike Knapton said: “Con- trary to popular belief, shisha is not safer than smoking cigarettes.

“Don’t be duped by the sweet smell and wholesome sounding fruity flavours —ifyouuse shisha you are a smoker and that means you’re putting your health at risk. “There are added risks because you often smoke it for far longer than you would a cigarette and you’re also exposed to toxins from the wood or charcoal used to burn the tobacco.”

But Carlos Als, owner of Taboosh Shisha Bar, in Bank Street, Bolton, said he did not believe smoking shisha was as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.

He said most of the fruity tobacco used in shisha pipes contained very little or no nico- tine.

Mr Als said: “I really don’t think that it is as dangerous as cigarettes. I’m not sur- prised that shisha smoking has become more popular because it is a cultural thing.

“It has been going for hundreds of years and it is very popular.”