A Southwark councillor hopes the landmark sentencing which will see a shopkeeper receive jail time for selling toxic skin lightener will deter others.

Mohammed Iqbal Bharodawala, 45, of Heigham Road, East Ham, was sentenced to 20 months.

He was also ordered to pay a fine of £1,500 and costs of £5,000 for selling the dangerous skin lighteners online and in store.

It was the second time Southwark Council has prosecuted Bharodawala, a director of Jennys Cosmetics Limited in Walworth.

In November 2015 he was given a suspended sentence of 12 months for similar offences at the same business.

Cabinet member for community safety and public health, Cllr Evelyn Akoto welcomed the sentencing.

“Southwark Council works tirelessly to protect shoppers in Southwark and beyond from irresponsible traders seeking to profit at the expense of their customers’ health,” she said.

“These results show that businesses cannot hide by selling illegal goods online and that the courts will severely punish those who repeatedly break the law.

“I fully support the judge’s decision to bestow the severest sentence in such a case, and hope that it acts as a serious deterrent to anyone thinking of dealing in dangerous skin lightening products here in future.”

Southwark Council has brought 20 local cosmetic suppliers to court for supplying dangerous and illegal skin-lightening products since 2002.

Total fines and costs amount to £424,000, with three suspended prison sentences.