Latest Prosecutions - August 2018
5th September 2018
We bring you the latest fire prosecutions to remind about the importance of fire safety and also to warn you of the risks that can occur when it is breached.
Our latest update of fire prosecutions sees a landlord fined £20K for putting the lives of five residents at risk.
Case 1
A Worthing based landlord has been fined £20,000 plus court costs after putting the lives of five residents at risk, just weeks after residents reported their fire alarm didn’t work.
When a fire occurred at the property, smoke logged the stairs causing two people to become trapped on the second floor of the property. Luckily, firefighters were able to rescue both people who escaped the fire without major injury, although one was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Court heard that the landlord didn’t have a fire risk assessment in place and was aware that the fire alarms didn’t work. Many of the smoke detectors still had the manufacturers' dust covers on them meaning they weren’t responsive to smoke.
These fire safety failings lead to the landlord receiving a serious sentence with the court deeming him highly responsible for the fire safety failings.
Source: https://www.fia.uk.com/news/landlord-fined-20k-following-devastating-blaze.html
Case 2
A York restaurant has been fined £7,000 after a number of serious fire safety breaches were located at the premises.
The occupants who lived in the nine rooms above the Mr Happy restaurant in Blossom Street, York had ‘risked death or serious injury’.
The list of failings at the premises included:
The internal staircase to the restaurant and takeaway was blocked meaning it was unusable.
There were flammable objects and obstacles at the foot of an external staircase which lead into a nearby alleyway.
The fire alarms and fire detectors within the premises didn't work.
The fire extinguishers were presumed unusable as they had not been serviced for five years.
Fire officers served a prohibition notice banning the use of the upstairs rooms for accommodation after they discovered fire safety problems during an inspection in 2017. But later on in the same year occupants were discovered living in the property again.
The landlord pleaded guilty to the following: Failure to ensure the safety of employees and non-employees, failure to carry out a fire risk assessment and failure to comply with a prohibition notice.
Source: https://www.fia.uk.com/news/restaurant-fined-7k-over-fire-safety-breaches.html
These cases serve as a reminder of the responsibilities landlords have in ensuring the safety of occupants.
Here at Vulcan, we offer a range of fire training courses to help companies and individuals understand how to create fire safety plans and what to do in the event of a fire.
Find out more about our courses here.
