29th
Mar 2024
Lancashire Fire and Rescue service has successfully prosecuted a landlord for breaching the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and putting the lives of tenants and employees at risk.
The guilty landlord, Angela Chang, entered a guilty plea for six breaches of the regulations in her properties in Lancashire.
After carrying out an inspection of the landlord’s properties in March 2021, Lancashire fire safety officers issued the landlord with a Prohibition Notice on the flats above her work premises, which were rented out to several of her employees, a family of three and a builder carrying out work on the building.
Chang pleaded guilty to the six offences of:
· Failure to take such general fire safety precautions so as to ensure the safety of tenant;
· Failure to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment;
· Failure to ensure that the premises were equipped with appropriate fire detectors and alarms;
· Failure to ensure that people could evacuate the premises as quickly and safely as possible;
· Failure to properly maintain an appropriate fire evacuation procedure for the premises;
· Failure to safeguard the safety of relevant persons by ensuring that any facilities, equipment and devices provided.
These breaches were a serious threat to the tenants and employees’ lives and also put anyone at risk if visiting the property.
Last year in December, the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service successfully prosecuted Chang for not complying with the fire safety order and the prohibition notice which she pleaded guilty to.
Sentencing took place this month at Preston Crown Court where the landlord received a three month jail sentence for failing to comply with six articles of the Fire Safety Order and was ordered to pay £10,414 in costs to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
Ian Armistead, Protection Department Group Manager for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, says: “Ms Angela Chang is the responsible person for these premises, and as such has a legal duty to ensure that people who use her premises are provided with a safe environment. We hope that this prosecution will ensure that the standard of her properties is kept within the requirements of the law.
“In our constant drive to make Lancashire safer, our fire safety enforcement teams are always actively seeking out other dangerous premises. We would hope that the outcome of this particular case where a custodial sentence has been issued, sends a clear message that fire safety must always be a priority. In this instance the consequences of the inadequate fire safety measures and inadequate management could have led to serious injury or loss of life and circumstances left us with no other option but to take this action.
“Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service will always work with those willing to address fire safety issues and businesses can be assured that we will continue to support them in complying with the Fire Safety Order.
“We would urge landlords and responsible persons who need to take action to comply with fire safety regulations to visit the Business Safety section of our website, which contains advice and guidance on how to comply with your legal duties.”
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