Latest Fire Prosecutions - February 2019

We bring you the latest fire prosecutions to remind you about the importance of fire safety and highlight risks and legal issues that can occur when it is breached.

In this update, we see a builder face a £13K fine for breaching fire safety regulations and a hotel boss plead guilty to fire safety offences.

Case 1

A builder from Bedford has landed with a fine of £13,700 for failing to comply with critical fire safety regulations in the office space he was converting into flats.

Cllr Colleen Atkins, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Regulatory Services at Bedford Borough Council said, “This conviction confirms the seriousness with which we take failure to comply with building regulations.

“Building regulations set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the safety and health for people in or about those buildings.

“The council will continue to take action against people undertaking unauthorised work or substandard work in the borough which poses a risk to occupants and the public.”

Case 2

The boss of The Crown Hotel in Burnley has pleaded guilty to a string of offences after the hotel was shut down in 2017.

When the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service carried out an inspection of the premises they discovered a range of issues which included:

• Lack of fire detectors
• Missing smoke sensors
• Combustible materials left on fire escapes

During the inspection, the maintenance and repair of fire alarm systems were also noted.

When Crown Hotel LTD was trailed, it also emerged that fire risk assessments had not been created and adequate fire doors were not present within the premises.

Mr Virani (Boss of the Crown Hotel) pleaded guilty to six fire safety offences which all placed people at risk of serious injury or death. But, he pleaded not guilty to several other fire safety offences.  

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