An incident in which a three-year-old girl narrowly escaped serious injury when her clothes caught fire from an unguarded space heater has cost a fabric shop owner over £12,000.
The girl suffered minor burns while visiting Christopher Brown’s shop “Brown’s of Burscough” near Preston with her father Andrew Corlett. When Corlett heard his daughter screaming, he quickly removed her burning clothing, injuring his own hands as he did so.
Following a joint investigation by West Lancashire Borough Council and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, Brown pleaded guilty to two health and safety breaches, as well as several offences under fire safety legislation. At the shop, fire officers found inadequate fire fighting
and detection equipment, and blocked exits and escape routes.
On 19 May, magistrates in Ormskirk fined Brown £1000 for each of four offences under the Fire Safety Order plus £1500 for failing to ensure the safety of the public, contrary to Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, and a further £1500 under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. He was also ordered to pay £2394 costs to the council and £3158 to the fire service. “Having a dangerous device like this operating in a shop environment was a clear breach of both fire and health and safety legislation, and presented a real danger to the public,” said the vice chairman of the council’s licensing and appeals committee.
