Fines and prosecutions Fine for landlord after house fire


TERRY MILLIS, who owned a house in Worthing which caught fire last year, admitted that he ‘put the lives of five residents’ in the property ‘at risk’. Worthing Herald reported on the case against Mr Millis, who owned the three storey Victorian house, which was split into flats in the town. The flats shared a central staircase, and prosecutor Michael Stoneman stated that West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS) had ‘received a phone call to attend a fire’. On doing so, its watch manager noticed ‘smoke issuing from the building’ and that four of the residents were stood outside the property’. District Judge Tessa Szagun added that the fire ‘was in the process of spreading to the loft’, and said it was ‘ascertained that there were two people trapped inside on the second floor of the property due to the stairs being smoke logged’. She added that ‘fortunately the brave firefighters managed to rescue the two people trapped’, who both ‘escaped without major injury, though one was taken to hospital and treated for smoke inhalation’. Mr Stoneman noted in turn that Mr Millis ‘did not have a fire risk assessment’ for the building, and ‘was aware that the fire


the danger that the residents were at risk of’. It was revealed that the


alarm was not in working order’, while several smoke detectors ‘had the manufacturer’s dust covers still on them, rendering them non-responsive to smoke’. Mr Millis had got in touch with a company to repair the fire alarm two months before the fire, but ‘the work had not been done’, those attending at Brighton Magistrates’ Court were told. The prosecutor also mentioned


that a resident ‘explained that she had lived in the property for four years and had never heard the fire alarm sound’, and that these ‘failures to have the fire regulations in place resulted in the lives of the residents being in danger’. Mr Stoneman pointed out that Mr Millis ‘was aware that the alarm wasn’t working and


fire had been caused by a cooking surface ‘being left unattended’. In defence of Mr Millis, Chris Chatterton stated that the landlord had ‘checked the alarms every month in the daytime’, adding that ‘that would explain why there were no alarm tests heard by residents. The fire itself is through no fault of Mr Millis. Immediately following this, Mr Millis instructed the company to replace the alarms. That has been done’. Mr Chatterton also cited the


‘significant’ health problems that Mr Millis had suffered from ‘in the lead up to the fire, and still deals with today’. However, Judge Szagun told Mr Millis that he had a ‘high level of culpability’ in the fire, saying that ‘the purpose of sentencing in this type of case is to protect the safety of individuals living in such premises by ensuring that there is no financial gain by any person cutting corners. [There is] also a necessity to deter others from doing so’. After Mr Millis pleaded


guilty, he was fined £20,000 – a reduction from £30,000 due to the guilty plea – and was ordered to pay £1,743 costs to West Sussex County Council


Prosecution and fine after fire at rented property


THE HOUSE in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, caught fire last November, and the landlord pleaded guilty to failing to comply with fire safety regulations. The Comet reported on


the prosecution of Lawrence Connors, who owned the property and rented it out to several tenants. On 6 November 2017 the fire ‘caused major damage’, though no tenants were injured. North Hertfordshire District Council brought the case against Mr Connors after


its environmental health team, working with Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, investigated the fire and discovered that no fire safety measures had been put in place. Following this, an emergency


prohibition order was served ‘to stop the building from being reoccupied’, and Mr Connors admitted that he had failed to comply with fire safety regulations in court. Magistrates fined him £3,500 and ordered him to pay £1,704, plus a £120 surcharge, for a total bill of £5,027.


Bernard Lovewell, councillor


for housing and environmental health, said: ‘It is vital that landlords make sure that all fire safety measures are put in place when renting out a property. It is extremely fortunate that no-one was hurt as a result of the fire at the property.


‘Neglecting to do this not


only puts tenants at serious risk but also breaks the law, and I hope this prosecution sends out a message to all landlords that they must take their responsibilities seriously.’


www.frmjournal.com OCTOBER 2018 13


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