Wellingborough hotel fined £75,000 for fire safety failures

Members of the Fire and Rescue Service’s dedicated protection team found fire safety deficiencies during an inspection of the Grade II-listed premises on 21 May, which was conducted as part of a regular programme of visits to premises across the county.

On the day of the visit, the protection team’s officers found that the fire alarm system was faulty and may have been so dating back to 2021. As a result, an Enforcement Notice was served requiring the owner to rectify the faults.

At a follow-up inspection of the Sheep Street premises on 10 September last year, it was discovered that the hotel had failed to comply with the required actions in the Enforcement Notice. As such, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service took the decision to prosecute the business.

Sentencing details

Sentencing took place at Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court on 4 November. Hind Wellingborough Limited was charged with breaching fire safety legislation. Marcus Holden, sole director of the company, had pleaded guilty on behalf of the defendant at a hearing conducted on 29 July this year.

Subsequently, the company was ordered to pay a £75,000 fine, as well as costs of £4,200 and a victim surcharge totalling £2,000.

Held to account

Scott Richards, head of protection at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We work very hard with businesses across the county to make sure that their premises meet the highest standards so they can ensure the safety of their customers and staff.”

Richards continued: “On this occasion, we gave the company every opportunity to rectify its fire alarm system, but it didn’t take any action to address these issues when we served the Enforcement Notice.”

In conclusion, Richards noted: “We never take the decision to prosecute a business lightly. We hope that the sentencing of this premises serves as a reminder that, should businesses choose to put their customers at risk, then we will take clear and decisive action to hold them to account for failing to keep people safe.”