Landlord pleads guilty to breaching fire laws. £21k fine

From Info4fire

Landlord pleads guilty to breaching fire laws
28 October 2011

A landlord and his property firm have been ordered to pay more than £33,000 for breaching fire safety legislation.

Lee Pemberton, a director of PemCo Investments Ltd, pleaded guilty to seven offences relating to a property above a shop, in Lune Street, Preston.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service chiefs said Pemberton put residents at risk of death or serious injury if there had been a fire in the house of multiple occupants.

The offences included failing to provide appropriate fire detectors and alarms; a lack of a suitable fire risk assessment; inadequate fire separation between the basement and the access staircase; a lack of fire safety measures; failing to maintain adequate fire separation between the first and second floors; an unsuitable system of maintenance for the building; and failing to comply with other responsible people to comply with the requirements of prohibitions placed on him.

Pemberton, who had already been prosecuted by the fire service for previous breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, was fined £1,000 for each offence at Preston Magistrates’ Court. He was also ordered to pay £500 costs.

PemCo was fined £3,000 for each offence, totalling £21,000, and ordered to pay £5,520 costs.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service fire safety officer, John Hampson, said: “While we will always work with those willing to address fire safety issues, where unnecessary risks are being taken or management responsibilities flouted, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action.”