Horley Travelodge fined over £13,000 for fire safety breaches

Hotel chain, Travelodge have been fined £13,000 after breaching fire safety laws at their hotel in Horley.

The breaches relate to failings found at its 6 storey hotel in Povey Cross Road, Horley.

On discovering the breaches, fire officers immediately issued a Prohibition Notice which prevents anyone from staying at the hotel.

The hotel was fined £13,000 and ordered to pay £6,500 in costs after being found guilty of seven charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) order 2005.

The breaches were discovered when fire crews were called to put out a blaze on the ground floor of the hotel in September 2011.

Officers found that the fire alarm system was inadequate, staff had not received sufficient fire safety training, the fire risk assessment was insufficient and fire fighting equipment had not been maintained correctly. In addition to this, escape routes were obstructed or even blocked.

Andy Tonks from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fortunately, due to the professionalism of our crews at the time of the incident, the fire was brought under control quickly and nobody was hurt. However, under different circumstances, the consequences could have been life-threatening. Protecting the public will always be our top priority and while we would much rather offer advice to the businesses to help them comply with fire safety law, where serious breaches are putting people’s lives at risk we will certainly seek to prosecute.”

Since the conviction, the hotel has rectified all fire safety issues and has re-opened. Bob Burgess, West Sussex County Council deputy cabinet member for public protection, said: “We would like to remind all businesses that they have a duty to comply with fire safety legislation and I hope this case will show just how seriously we take our responsibilities to protect the lives of members of the public.”