On Tuesday, January 17 the owners of Buffet City Ltd, the company that operates Buffet City on Newgate Street in Chester, was ordered by Chester Magistrates Court to pay a total of £24,067 in fines and court costs. This related to six serious breaches of the Fire Safety Order.
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Keith Brooks, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Head of Community Fire Protection said: “This was an extremely serious case of a business putting the lives of their staff at considerable risk from fire. Staff sleeping in a workplace must be able to escape safely in the event of a fire”.
“We are determined to protect the lives of those living and working across Cheshire and so we will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously”.
The following is a breakdown of the fines and charges:
- £5,000 – For the lack of a working fire alarm
- £3,000 – For not having a fire risk assessment
- £2,000 – For being unable to provide a fire exit, which was able to be used in an emergency without a key
- £2,000 – For storing combustibles on the means of escape
- £3,000 – For being unable to provide working escape lighting
- £5,000 –For failing to plan and have in place appropriate procedures
Fire Authority member, Cllr Bob Rudd added: “All business owners, especially takeaway and restaurant owners where the risk of fire is high and where people often sleep in the building, must check that they have proper fire safety measures in place and must carry out a risk assessment to protect the safety of both their staff and customers. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution and a considerable fine.”
The company was also ordered to pay £4,052 in Court Costs to Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service. The final fee also included a victim surcharge.
Teams of firefighters and specially trained officers regularly visit businesses across Cheshire to check that people are complying with the Fire Safety Order and that people’s lives are not being put at risk.
It was at one such visit that first highlighted the issues with Buffet City.
Businesses wanting more information about their responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order should visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk
