Greggs the bakers fined over fire safety breaches

Greggs the bakers has been fined a total of £50,000 for fire safety breaches at one of its stores in Brentford.

The problems at the Brentford store were uncovered by officers from the London Fire Brigade on a routine audit at the end of 2008. They found that numerous problems with fire exits and fire doors, and also believed that the company’s fire risk assessment and fire training policies needed updating.

The London Fire Brigade claims that a letter notifying Greggs of these breaches and the need for improvements was sent to the company in January 2009, but the recommended changes weren’t made.

At Isleworth Crown Court recently, Greggs plc. was fined fined a total of £50,000 for two separate breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 concerning fire escapes and exits and fire risk assessments. The company was also ordered to pay court costs exceeding £20,000 in total.

Speaking after the verdict, Councillor Brian Coleman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority said:

“Fire safety is a key part of good business management and responsible persons must comply with their legal obligations under the fire safety order, in order that employees and the general public are as safe as possible from the risk of fire. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution.”