Asda store fined over £55,000 for breaching fire safety regulations
Asda Stores Limited has been fined over £55,000 after being found guilty of fire safety breaches at a store in Berkshire.
The Company appeared at Reading Crown Court on 6th June, pleading guilty to two charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Royal Berkshire Fire Authority (RBFA) discovered the breaches following an inspection of the Asda store in Cippenham, near Slough on 24th June 2010. The breaches presented a serious risk to staff and customers.
William Clegg QC, told the court that the inspection showed several breaches including fire exits chained and locked shut, blocked fire escapes, fire exit doors wedged open and combustible items blocking escape routes. The company had previously been served with a caution for contravening fire safety regulations. Judge Grainger fined the company £20,000 for each offence, with full costs totaling £15,647.
David Walden, the Authority’s fire-safety legal support manager, said: “This was a clear case of a major retailing company failing to comply with fire-safety regulations and, by doing so, placing people at serious risk. It also provides further evidence that some businesses continue to treat compliance with fire-safety legislation as an option – it is not. Staff and customers are entitled to feel safe when working at, or visiting, a supermarket, or any other business. We will continue with our efforts to ensure that any business owner, or manager who refuses to take these obligations seriously will be brought before the courts.”
Mansfield store fined over £32,000 for breaching fire safety regulations
A bargain store in Mansfield has had to pay a fine of over £32,000 after being found guilty of breaching fire safety regulations.
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service inspected the newly opened B&M store in Stockwell Gate in June 2012 and discovered the breaches.
Representatives from the store appeared in Mansfield Magistrates Court and admitted breaching six fire safety offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The company had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and had obstructed fire exits leading out of the building. One exit route led to a locked enclosed area employees had not received adequate safety training.
In mitigation, barrister Austin Welch who represented the company said that B&M took health and safety and fire regulations very seriously. He said: “This is not a case where a company has operated for a great deal of time, the staff had been working there for three weeks and it had been open for a week, this is an extremely short period of time.”
Ian Taylor from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are here to provide advice and support to local businesses and are always willing to help to make sure they comply with the fire safety legislation. However, the public should continue to be reassured that we take any breaches of fire safety very seriously and will use legal sanctions where necessary. In this case, my officers had previously spent some time ensuring that B&M Retail Ltd was aware of its responsibilities and duties to ensure people’s safety, and it is disappointing that they chose to continue to place people at risk from fire.”
Chinese restaurant manager fined for fire safety breaches
The manager of a Chinese restaurant in Cambridge has pleaded guilty to 16 fire safety breaches.
A visit from fire protection offers and environmental health officials revealed a range of health and safety breaches at the Tang Chinese Restaurant.
Investigators discovered that the loft of the premises had been converted into accommodation and was being used by staff. It had no fire exit, fire alarm system or emergency lighting.
Xueling Teng, pleaded guilty to the breaches when he appeared before Peterborough Magistrates’ Court earlier this month.
Only two days before the conviction, he had actually resigned as the manager of the restaurant.
Steve Cotton from Cambridge Fire and Rescue Service, said: “These breaches were putting lives at risk. This prosecution should serve as a message to other business owners that the Fire Safety Order cannot be ignored – it is there to save lives.”
Mr Teng was fined £2,000 for the breaches and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.