The company that run the Crewe Arms Hotel in Crewe were taken to court by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service following an inspection in 2015 which uncovered a number of serious fire safety violations which put lives in danger. These included:

• Insufficient numbers of smoke detectors in the building with some rooms without any and others that had been covered over by building work
• The maintenance of the alarm system was poor with some areas of the system not working
• There was inadequate separation of the building between floors – including holes in the floors – which meant fire could spread easily
• Fire escape routes were inadequate
• The fire risk assessment the company had was neither suitable or sufficient.

In addition to an £80,000 fine, the company were ordered to pay prosecution costs of £10,000 and a victim surcharge of £120. District Judge Andrew Shaw said: “This is a systemic failure to comply with the relevant legislation.” Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said “We hope that this court case will put other companies on notice that we will take action against them if they are found to be below the standards the law requires.”

All employers and landlords are required by law to ensure fire safety is addressed and adhered to including

• carrying out a fire risk assessment of the premises and reviewing it regularly
• put in place, and maintain, appropriate fire safety measures
• plan for an emergency
• provide staff information, fire safety instruction and training

Freya fire can provide a range of fire safety services including Risk Assessments, Fire Compartmentation, Fire Audits, Fire Engineering, Fire Training and Building Design Solutions at competitive rates. Please contact us for a chat to discuss your individual needs.

Find out more by visiting the Stoke Sentinel site.