Indian restaurant owners guilty of breaching fire safety regulations

Two owners of an Indian restaurant in Mutley, a suburb of Plymouth, have been fined for a breach of fire regulations following a recent fire which was spotted by a passer-by last November.

The smoke alarms and detectors put in place at Mutley Spice were found to be inadequate while fire exits had been blocked.

Nobody was injured in the blaze but part of the building was severely damaged.

Faizul Hoque and Taklus Hussain were each fined £4,000 in addition to prosecution costs as they attended court to face the charges.

Presiding magistrate Diana Greene said:

“We were horrified at the extent of your non-compliance. If a random passer-by had not seen the smoke the outcome could have been extremely different. It hardly bears thinking about.”

Although the owners of the restaurant had not purposely left the building without adequate fire safety in place, this situation just goes to show what can happen if you do not take this seriously.

The risk of fire is greater in these types of establishments with a kitchen, so if you are a restaurant owner then it is necessary to consider your own fire safety procedures and ensure that you have smoke detectors in place for the safety of your staff as well as your customers.

A ‘Fire Safety in Kitchens and Restaurants’ course can cover all of these things and more, helping you to protect your business.