Property management company plead guilty to fire safety breaches

18/06/2009

A property management company have been ordered to pay over £25,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of fire safety legislation following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade.

Shoalacre Ltd. of 44-50 The Broadway, Southall, Middlesex, UB1 1QB, admitted guilt on seven contraventions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The case was held on Wednesday 17 June at Harrow Magistrates' Court.

The prosecution followed a fire on 14 November 2007 at a house converted into flats on Turner Road, Edgware. The fire started under the stairs due to an overload of the electrical systems. Inspecting officers visited the premises the following day and found several fire safety failings. These included no means of detecting fire in the building and fire doors were not properly maintained. The faults with the fire doors meant that if a fire broke out in the stairwell of the premises, the only likely available exit on the first floor was the windows.

Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation Steve Turek said: "I urge landlords, business owners and employers to take their fire safety responsibilities very seriously. All premises owners and operators must make themselves aware of the regulations, to undertake a fire safety risk assessment, which is now mandatory and act upon its findings."