search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
NEWS


Fines and prosecutions Company fined for ‘death trap’ shop fire


KEEN’S TACKLE and Guns in Aberkenfig, South Wales, was seriously damaged in a fire in November 2016, and its owner was fined for breaching fire safety regulations. Wales Online reported on


the prosecution of Bridgend Trailercraft Limited, after the ‘devastating blaze’ at the hunting and fishing shop. The store was ‘seriously damaged’, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) being called to the two storey building on 8 November 2016. Neighbouring properties were evacuated and the road closed ‘due to the presence of shotgun cartridges and other combustible materials’. After a post fire inspection the


following day, a number of failings ‘to comply with various safety measures’ were identified. There was no fire detection equipment present, staff had not received ‘necessary’ training, and no ‘appropriate’ risk assessment was in place. When the company’s director Jeffrey Keen was interviewed in June 2017, he confirmed that nine staff were employed and that the company had seen a fire inspection 20 years previously. At that time, it ‘complied with


all requirements’, he said, stating that companies ‘needed advice, which should be provided by the fire service’: prosecutors noted that guidance ‘was


available for free online’. Prosecutor Klentiana Mahmutaj described the premises as a ‘death trap’, and argued that the company showed ‘complete unawareness’ of its responsibilities, with failings ‘likely to cause a risk of death or serious injury’. She added that ‘there was


consistent failure to observe several very important fire safety measures for a very long period of time’, with Alex Greenwood, defending, accepting that the company was ‘not up to speed’ with regulations. He pointed out however that nobody had been injured, adding that it was a ‘small, family-run business with long-serving employees who were all familiar with the building’. The company admitted four counts of failing to comply with fire safety regulations, and Judge Michael Fitton pointed out that the ‘series of failings’ did not cause the fire, which had actually started due to a water leak into wiring. Noting that the company had spent around


Ilford landlord breaches Housing Act


MOHAMED HAFEEZ Kayani breached nine Housing Act elements, including fire safety. Ilford Recorder reported on


the prosecution of Mr Kayani, whose property featured a ‘filthy kitchen, unmaintained drainage systems and light bulbs connected by an extension lead’, alongside ‘severe’ damp conditions and electrical units that were ‘water penetrated’. Additionally, he ‘failed to ensure that all fire alarms were in good and working order’,


while smoke detectors ‘had been removed from their casings in the common parts of the property’. Other fire safety failures included


non maintained fire exits and fire escapes with ‘loose floor’ coverings. He pleaded guilty to nine offences in December 2016, and was sentenced in January, receiving a total fine of £97,445 including £5,000 for each offence (totalling £45,000), a £48,945 confiscation order, a £175 victim surcharge and £3,325 costs.


14 APRIL 2018 www.frmjournal.com Farah Hussain, cabinet member


for housing, stated that the ‘safety of our residents is vital’, and added: ‘Redbridge has a growing rental market and we need to make sure that it is managed by responsible landlords and provides safe and high-quality homes for tenants. In this case Kayani failed to comply with the law and failed to properly manage the property. He showed little regard for his tenants and put their lives at risk – his actions were totally unacceptable.’


£50,000 on ‘extensive work’ to remedy the issues, he fined them £16,000, with the store refurbished and set to reopen soon. Alison Kibblewhite, head of risk


reduction for SWFRS, stated that ‘it is only down to chance that nobody was killed or seriously injured in this incident’, and that the outcome of the case ‘reflected the seriousness of fire safety shortcomings at the premises’. In turn, SWFRS ‘would have preferred’ to work with the company, but had been left with ‘no option’ but to prosecute. She added: ‘Part of our role in


business fire safety is to ensure those in our communities are safe – at work or visiting these type of premises. Whether you are an employer, owner, landlord, occupier or building manager, you have a legal duty to ensure your business is fully compliant with the Fire Safety Order. In addition to the obvious risks to life, you may be forced to pay a fine for any safety breaches.’


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60