Successive fire breaches - landlord to be sentenced next week

A landlord is to be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court next week after pleading guilty to seven charges relating to fire safety. 

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service brought the charges against Timothy Reynolds following two separate inspections of Ormskirk premises managed by Reynolds. 

The first was the result of a fire alarm activation, where fire safety officers found occupants sleeping on the first floor of a former gymnasium.

The second premises, a disused public house, was inspected by fire officers and West Lancashire council’s private sector housing officers last November. 

The inspection revealed inadequate fire protection for fire escape routes and inadequate emergency lighting, locked doors on exit routes, combustible items on escape routes, excessive distances between means of escape, a complete lack of suitable fire detectors and inadequate firefighting equipment.

“Of particular concern was the fact that a professional landlord, who was aware of his responsibility to ensure adequate fire safety provision, continued to allow unsuitable premises to be used for sleeping accommodation” says a statement from the Fire Service.

Despite being issued with a Prohibition Notice, investigations revealed that Reynolds did not take adequate measures to comply with the prohibition relating to one of the properties. 

Reynolds offered a guilty plea for seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

He is expected to be sentenced next Tuesday.

In addition, Reynolds has now been prosecuted by the council and has nd pleaded guilty to a charge of allowing occupation of one of the properties as an unlicensed house of multiple occupation. 

Reynolds was fined £1,600 (which was reduced by one-third to £1,055 as he was given credit for his guilty plea), and ordered to pay costs of £1,552.50 and a victim surcharge of £120, making a total of £2,727.50.