Hotel pays £50,000 for fire safety offences
In another case a hotel company has had to pay £50,000 in fines and costs after breaching fire safety legislation.
Chescombe Ltd – owner of Tantons Hotel in Bideford – was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs at Exeter Crown Court. The company had previously pleaded guilty to five offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The prosecution followed a fire in which 55 people were evacuated, including four people who were trapped on the roof of the building and had to be rescued.
The company pleaded guilty to five offences: failing to implement the requirements of the fire risk assessment; failing to provide adequate fire detection and alarm equipment; inadequate fire resisting doors; a failure to ensure escape routes were kept clear; and failing to maintain a final exit door and self-closing fire doors.
An Inspector commented that “The Judge gave a clear indication that a strong message needed to go out to those that manage and invest in hotels about the importance of fire safety.
