Working Men’s Club destroyed in arson attack
Staffordshire firefighters were called to a huge fire at a disused working men’s club on the evening of 18th June.
Crews spent around 4 hours tackling the fire at the Old Mills Working Men’s Club and Institute in Blurton at about 8.40pm.
Station Manager Rob Barber confirmed that arson is suspected. The building was so badly damaged that it will now need to be demolished.
Mr Barber said: “We have carried out our investigations and have gathered enough evidence to support a conclusion that this fire was started deliberately. We will do everything in our power to help Staffordshire Police bring those responsible to justice – arson is a serious crime, it endangers many lives and ties up emergency services for hours.”
There were no casualties reported in the incident. An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway.
Leicestershire builder fined £5000 for fire safety breaches
A Leicestershire builder has been fined over £5,000 after being found guilty of fire safety regulations.
Craig Derrick from Hinckley, admitted breaching a prohibition notice issued to him by Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service after they carried out an inspection on Lillie House, in Conduit Street, Leicester, in October 2010.
He was fined £2,500 and ordered to pay £2,500 in costs. Mr Derrick was released on unconditional bail to appear for sentencing at Leicester Crown Court on 12th July.
The building is being developed by Launch Padz Developments and is being converted into 75 single and communal student flats. It had been rejected as unsafe by fire service inspectors, who issued a notice preventing anyone living there until the problems were corrected.
Hazel Padmore, from the fire service, said that despite the notice, students had been allowed to move into the property. She said: “There was a backlog of students waiting for accommodation. They were let in intentionally with clear assurances that there was nothing wrong with the building.”
Mr Derrick said that he was not present when the prohibition notice was issued and was not certain what it meant.
Mr Derrick said: “The job was done to satisfaction when it was completed. I am on the spot – building is very slack.”
On-site Fire Warden Training
I found this really interesting as we were given real situations. The films were very powerful and the presentation excellent. It raised awareness and pointed out things that we need to change in our work practices – C. Griffiths
The expertise and experience of the presenter made the course really interesting. Full of knowledge and interesting experiences. The course reiterates the dangers of fire and the necessity to be able to deal with a situation should it occur – O. Griffiths
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Very interesting and informative. Reminded me about some really important issues – J. Booth
On-site Fire Warden Training
Very good presentation. Great videos and practical. Gerry was really good – B. Hove
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On-site Fire Warden Training
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The course emphasised the seriousness of fire and how quickly it can spread. The use of the Bradford City fire example was particularly useful and hard hitting – B. Reilly