Some of the tattoo kit recovered when environmental health entered the premises

A woman who ran a tattoo parlour from her kitchen in Fishwick has been fined.

Vanessa Filipa Vitorino was found to be carrying out tattooing in unhygienic conditions.

Advertisements

Environmental health officers said anyone getting a tattoo was it risk of being infected as equipment was not being effectively sterilized.

Ms Vitorino, 26, of Dundonald Street, failed to attend Preston Magistrates Court in March. She was fined £440 after being found guilty in her absence, along with being ordered to pay £330 towards costs and a £44 victims surcharge.

Chief environmental health officer Craig Sharp said: “Illegal scratchers pose a real danger to the public’s health, often using toxic inks and unsterilized equipment that can have a serious risk of spreading diseases such as hepatitis or HIV, as well as the potential to cause permanent ugly scarring.

“If that wasn’t bad enough, people often tell us that the quality of the tattoo they had done was so poor that they had to spend time and money getting it corrected by a registered tattoo artist.

“These unregistered tattooists are often willing to illegally tattoo children and can cause damage that lasts a lifetime, knowing that children will be unlikely to report them to us or the Police. If people know of any illegal tattooists in their community then we would urge them to contact us.”

Investigating officers removed and destroyed all tattooing equipment, including 11 tattoo guns, a box of tattooing needles, 40 bottles of tattooing inks and three sharps boxes filled with used needles.

Getting a tattoo from an unlicensed tattoo artist carries the risk of contracting Hepatitis B, C or D, or HIV.