Hotel owners charged over breaches of fire safety
It has been reported that Cornwall Council has decided to begin prosecution proceedings against the owners of a hotel in Newquay following a fire which left three people dead.
The Penhallow Hotel was badly damaged in a fire back in the summer of 2007 and the incident resulted in the deaths of Staffordshire guests Peter Hughes, Monica Hughes and Joan Harper.
Following a comprehensive investigation into the blaze by the council and fire service, the hotel owners have been charged with a breach of fire safety regulations.
It took over 100 firefighters to tackle the blaze at the 54-bedroom hotel back in August 2007, where around 90 people were evacuated.
The suspicious fire, which was never proved to have been started deliberately, was thought to have begun in a hotel bar drink store where it then spread through the hotel premises.
The hotel had to be demolished due to the extent of the fire damage sustained by the structure.
Once the probe into the fire had been concluded, charges were brought against the owners and three of their employees for alleged breaches of the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005.
They are all due to appear at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court on the 21st of October.
Council bin collection plans to become more widespread
In the last article we reported how London councillors are considering increasing the schedule for rubbish collections in the capital to a fortnightly service and how this has been opposed by fire chiefs.
However, councils have moved swiftly to put the blame firmly at the doorstep of fly-tippers and arsonists when it comes to rubbish fires.
Councillor Gary Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association environment board, explained:
“Local authorities recognise the need to keep the risk of bin fires to a minimum.
“The problem is with irresponsible arsonists and fly-tippers who are determined to make other people’s lives a misery.
“An easy target is rubbish that has been dumped by people who can’t be bothered to dispose of their waste responsibly.”
Despite this, Bob Neill the Fire Services minister is looking to agree on a solution with councils regarding this issue following revelations from a survey in July that almost half of councils are planning to reduce the services of bin collections and street cleaning in the near future to save money.
He said:
“This is a very serious issue, given refuse fires account for almost half of all outdoor fires.
“This just shows that cutting frontline services like weekly collections is a false economy.
“The public now pay a lot of money in council tax, and want a decent bin collection in return.
“The new Government will be working with councils to improve the quality and frequency of rubbish and recycling collections.”
Fire service warning over fortnightly rubbish collections
Fire chiefs in London have moved to express their concerns over council plans to reduce spending by making bin collections less frequent.
Councillor Brian Coleman, chairman of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, said that this move could prove to be a fire hazard, with rubbish left on the streets already leading to an increase in arson attacks.
Figures show that there were 8,438 rubbish fires in the capital during 2009 and this quick fix solution could cause these numbers to rise even further, leading to an increased fire risk for homes and businesses in London.
Cllr Coleman said:
“Most outdoor fires are fires in rubbish and refuse. The brigade has been successful in reducing the numbers of rubbish fires in London.
“However, there is a real danger that if fortnightly bin collections were introduced it would increase the number of fires which will risk lives and cost the taxpayer dear.
“Rubbish, refuse and other materials left outside are often maliciously set alight and even now we still attend over 8,000 calls each year.
“The brigade wants to cut this number further but will be hampered by a short sighted, short term, quick fix solution that could increase the overall bill to the taxpayer.”
Fire Evacuation at Ryder Cup Hotel
Residents of the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport had to be evacuated in the early hours of Monday morning after a faulty fire alarm was activated in the hotels underground car park.
The venue which is currently hosting the 3 day Ryder Cup Tournament was evacuated in the early hours of Monday after a fire alarm went off. Guests and team players had to leave the building until fire fighters had established that it was a false alarm.
A video of the incident with the message “Sitting on the curb outside the hotel at 1am with everyone, full fire alarm in the hotel. What a shocker.” was posted on Twitter by Europe Ryder Cup golfer, Ian Poulter.
Tiger Woods and the US team arrived at the resort later that day and were unaffected by the disturbance.
New Dearne Valley fire station to open this week
It has been revealed that Dearne Community Fire Station, a £5.5 million venture to replace two former stations, is to open officially on Friday.
The Manvers Way, Rotherham site was chosen to make up for the losses of stations in Brampton Mexborough.
The new station, which holds four fire engines, allows fire crews swift access to local communities in the area.
Chief fire officer of the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said:
“We are delighted with our new purpose-designed building here in Dearne. The facilities offer an excellent base for the firefighters who provide the community with a first-class emergency response service.
“It not only offers considerable operational benefits and community facilities but its environmental features will greatly increase the sustainability of this important building for decades to come.”
Speaking about the new 3.5 acre station, South Yorkshire Fire Authority chairman, Jim Andrews, said:
“This is a significant development for the people within the Dearne Valley.
“The new station will not only provide first-class facilities for the community, but give the fire service the means to meet our targets in emergency response times for this part of South Yorkshire.
“Providing our firefighters with the most modern facilities will ultimately facilitate a first-class service the public deserve.”