Supermarket giant Tesco been fined £95,000 after it admitted five breaches of the Fire Safety Order at one of its north London stores.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) discovered the problems after it was called to a fire at the retailer’s Colney Hatch supermarket in Friern Barnet in October 2007.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the store was locked but they managed to attract the attention of a shopfloor worker who was restocking after closing time.
Once inside the premises, officers found staff had put out a fire in the staff kitchen but the area, including a corridor and locker rooms, was still full of smoke. Fire crews had to ask Tesco staff several times to evacuate the building.
When LFB returned to inspect the store the next day, it found doors had been wedged open and the retailer had failed to keep escape routes clear or to review the shop’s fire risk assessment.
At Wood Green Crown Court on 20 April, the judge fined Tesco £95,000 and ordered it to pay £24,321 costs.
