Sadiq Khan Includes Fire Safety in his Rogue Landlord Database
It has been announced this week that the Mayor of London has included fire safety breaches will be included in his upcoming database of roque landlords.
Manchester landlord fined for breaching fire safety regulations
A Greater Manchester landlord has pleaded guilty to a number of fire safety breaches.
A Fire protection team visited Waseem Abbas’s property on Bury Old Road in Salford which was being used as a mobile phone shop, an internet cafe and a television and radio station in December 2011.
The investigation revealed that there were no fire doors in the building and other exits had been blocked by combustible materials. There were also no fire alarms and a risk assessment had not been carried out.
There was no means of escape for the upper floors of the property other than the staircase leading down to the main shop. This meant that people working on the upper floors would have been trapped in the event of a blaze on the ground floor.
Their escape attempts would have been further hampered by the bars that had been fitted on some of the upstairs windows.
He was fined £3,600 and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.
Peter O’Reilly from Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: “This case shows that ignorance and failing to think about fire safety can be very costly. The starting point for all businesses should be to do a fire risk assessment which will help them identify how to keep the premises safe.”
Cheshire Councillor fined £45,000 for Fire Safety Breaches
A Councillor in Cheshire has been fined for fire safety breaches at a property he rented out.
Brian Silvester was fined £45,000 at Chester Crown Court for failing to obtain the necessary license for a house in multiple occupation (HMO) and 11 other fire safety offences.
The property had broken smoke alarms, no linked alarm system, blocked escape routes and out of date fire extinguishers. The property also contained a number of factors that increased the risk of a fire breaking out such as a poor wiring and a flooded cellar.
The Councillor for Willaston appeared in court with his brother Colin Silvester who was fined £37,500 for the same offences.
The brothers pleaded guilty to all charges brought against them in relation to Shavington House Farm in Shavington when they appeared at Crewe Magistrates’ Court in July this year.
The brothers were also each ordered to pay costs of £22,000 by recorder Elgan Edwards.
Lee Shears from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The seriousness of the breaches could ultimately have led to serious injury or potential death in the event of a fire but thankfully one didn’t occur and we’ve not had to see any of those risks realised. They were very serious breaches, some of the most serious we have seen in premises of this type.”
A former tenant at the property said that he had serious concerns over fire safety at the building he resorted to leaving a lump hammer on a window sill in his room in case he needed to evacuate the building in the event of a fire.
He said: “The first thing I thought was how to get out in case of fire. I tied a long scaffold rope from a beam which I could throw out of the window. I literally had a lump hammer and a pair of gloves on the window sill so that I could smash the frame, because it was only a small window, and slide down the rope with a pair of gloves. It wasn’t a joke and it wasn’t for show, it had been there from the day I moved in.”
Head of Community Fire Safety Keith Brooks said: “We are pleased with the result. Our aim is always to work closely with landlords, giving them all the support and guidance they need to ensure the safety of their tenants. However, failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution.”
Celebrity hairdresser fined £40,000 for fire safety breaches
A celebrity hairdresser whose clients list includes the Duchess of Cambridge, Tara Palmer Tompkinson and Pixi Geldof has been fined £40,000 after one of his stylists suffered third degree burns in a fire at his London salon in Conduit Street.
Stylist Gail Purcell received serious burns when her skirt was set alight by a decorative candle at the Daniel Hersheson salon in London.
It is believed that Ms Purcell was forced to run to various parts of the building trying to find water to put the fire out.
No fire alarm was activated during the incident and other staff members seemed to be unaware of how to deal with the fire. No first aid was given to Ms Purcell before paramedics arrived on the scene.
Ms Purcell was taken to Chelsea and Westminster hospital suffering from third degree burns.
London Fire Brigade carried out an inspection at the property where a number of serious safety concerns emerged.
They discovered that fire doors were propped open, corridors were blocked, fire alarms were not working properly and the fire risk assessment was insufficient.
Rudan Ltd, trading as Daniel Hersheson, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the company was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court and ordered to pay a fine of £10,000 for each of the two offences and £20,000 costs.
London Fire Brigades’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation Lee Phillpotts said: ‘Business owners have a clear responsibility under fire safety law to ensure that both the public and their employees are safe from the risk of fire. This verdict sends a clear message that if these responsibilities are ignored we will not hesitate in prosecuting and serious penalties are likely to be imposed. People should always be extremely careful when using candles. You should never leave them unattended and keep them well away from any flammable materials.’
Horley Travelodge fined over £13,000 for fire safety breaches
Hotel chain, Travelodge have been fined £13,000 after breaching fire safety laws at their hotel in Horley.
The breaches relate to failings found at its 6 storey hotel in Povey Cross Road, Horley.
On discovering the breaches, fire officers immediately issued a Prohibition Notice which prevents anyone from staying at the hotel.
The hotel was fined £13,000 and ordered to pay £6,500 in costs after being found guilty of seven charges under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) order 2005.
The breaches were discovered when fire crews were called to put out a blaze on the ground floor of the hotel in September 2011.
Officers found that the fire alarm system was inadequate, staff had not received sufficient fire safety training, the fire risk assessment was insufficient and fire fighting equipment had not been maintained correctly. In addition to this, escape routes were obstructed or even blocked.
Andy Tonks from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fortunately, due to the professionalism of our crews at the time of the incident, the fire was brought under control quickly and nobody was hurt. However, under different circumstances, the consequences could have been life-threatening. Protecting the public will always be our top priority and while we would much rather offer advice to the businesses to help them comply with fire safety law, where serious breaches are putting people’s lives at risk we will certainly seek to prosecute.”
Since the conviction, the hotel has rectified all fire safety issues and has re-opened. Bob Burgess, West Sussex County Council deputy cabinet member for public protection, said: “We would like to remind all businesses that they have a duty to comply with fire safety legislation and I hope this case will show just how seriously we take our responsibilities to protect the lives of members of the public.”