Manchester off-license owner fined over £22,000 for breaching fire safety regulations

The owner of an off-licence in Greater Manchester has been fined over £22,000 for breaching fire safety regulations. The fine is the largest ever fine issued in the area for fire safety breaches.

The owner, Tahair Mahmood Arif was found guilty of 9 offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Manchester Crown Court.

Inspectors visited the property in April 2011 and discovered that fire escape routes were locked with huge piles of rubbish, there were no fire alarms and a hall way was used to store a huge amount of combustible material. Windows had also been fitted with metal shutters.

Inspectors later discovered that despite the notice, Mr Arif was still using the property.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Peter O’Reilly, Director of Prevention and Protection said: “By ignoring fire safety, Mr Arif placed the lives of his workers and others staying on the premises at risk. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service works hard to educate businesses about their responsibilities, however, it is the responsibility of the business to comply with the law. Mr Arif chose to ignore our notices, and I am pleased that the court has recognised that this disregard for safety is a very serious matter.  We will continue to prosecute cases where businesses put profit over safety and I hope this sends a clear message to others.”

Mr Arif was fined £22,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,195 and a £15 victim surcharge.