High street store guilty of fire safety breaches

After a serious fire at Oxford Street fashion store ‘New Look’, the company was ordered to pay fines of £400,000 and £136,000 in costs.  Over 150 fire fighters attended the fire which broke out on 26th April 2007.

No one was injured in the fire but over 450 people had to be evacuated from the store and neighbouring buildings.  A large section of Oxford Street had to remain closed for 2 days after the blaze causing major disruption for businesses.

An investigation into the fire showed that the company had breached a number of fire safety regulations, including failing to provide an adequate fire risk assessment.

New Look pleaded guilty to 2 of the charges brought against them but appealed the sentence.  The appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.  The Court said “We accept that the sentencing judge was intending to impose a fine which reflected the seriousness of the offence in its creation of the risks to visitors.  The magnitude of that risk was demonstrated, not by a death or serious injury but by a fire in which death or serious injury was fortuitously avoided”.