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Landlord jailed for 30 months after young woman suffered severe burns
11 May 2010

A landlord has been jailed for two and a half years after pleading guilty to a number of fire safety, health and safety and gas safety offences at Norwich Crown Court.

The court heard how a fire in one of his properties left a young woman so badly burned that doctors thought she was unlikely to survive. Layla Skalli suffered 80% deep tissue burns on almost all the skin below her neck.

The fire broke out on 14 April 2009 in Ms Skalli's bedsit, part of three adjoining houses in multiple occupation above retail premises in Magdalen Street, Norwich. Miss Skalli was unable to escape because her sash window could only be opened by 4 inches and the staircase was blocked by thick black smoke. Firefighters used a ladder to smash the window and climb inside, where they found Miss Skalli unconscious on the floor with her hands covering her face - the only part of her not burnt by the intense heat.

Other tenants were either rescued by firefighters or had to climb down a drainpipe to escape.

The joint prosecution was brought by Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and the Health and Safety Executive. The court heard how Mr Billings failed to provide a working fire alarm, an adequate number of fire doors, and adequate means of escape. In addition, gas appliances in the properties had not been serviced or properly inspected.

Mr Billings pleaded guilty to breaches of article 8 (duty to take general fire precautions), article 13 (firefighting and fire detection) and article 14 (emergency routes and exits) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for each of the three neighbouring properties, and was sentenced to 13 months' imprisonment for these offences. The rest of the sentence was for offences under section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974 and regulation 36(3)(a) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

The HSE's John Claxton said: "This is the most distressing case I have worked on during my 31 years as an HSE inspector. The injuries and pain suffered by Miss Skalli were horrific. It is testament to her huge character, spirit and determination that she is still alive today.

"Michael Billings failed in his basic duties as a landlord and those failures nearly cost the life of a young woman. As it is, Layla Skalli has been left with both physical and emotional scars that will never completely heal."

Landlords pay 16000 pounds for breach of prohibition notice
22 February 2010

Two landlords have been fined £4000 each and ordered to pay £8000 costs for breaching a prohibition notice on a residential property.

Ralph Ricardo and Alistair Gordon of Sarum Homes Ltd pleaded guilty to the breach of the notice served under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Yeovil Magistrates Court, and asked for a similar offence to be taken into consideration on another property. They were sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on 12 February.

The conviction followed an audit in September 2008 of the property in Chard by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. This found serious concerns for public safety and a prohibition notice preventing the occupation of the property was issued. It was later found that 13 people were still living in the property.

The property was in the process of being renovated and the fire alarm and emergency lighting systems had not yet been commissioned. In addition, fire safety compartmentation had been breached which, said the fire authority, would allow fire to spread quickly throughout the building.

Group manager Chris Hole of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service said: "We are pleased at the outcome of this case. Mr Gordon and Mr Ricardo of Sarum Homes Ltd put the lives of many people at risk who had paid for accommodation in their premises. We do not issue these notices very often, but when they are, they are issued on premises where there is a serious and imminent threat to life from fire."

Secret report reveals university buildings could breach fire regulations
17 February 2010

A 'secret' database showing the poor condition of many university halls of residence and non-residential buildings - including in some cases those deemed 'inoperable' because they are in breach of fire regulations - has been published by the Guardian newspaper.

The database has been the subject of a two-year legal tussle by the newspaper, which ended when an information tribunal ruled that it was in the public interest to release the data.

The information - held by the Higher Education Funding Council for England - reveals that scores of university halls of residence and other buildings were judged "at serious risk of major failure or breakdown" and "unfit for purpose". At the most extreme, these buildings could break fire regulations, have leaks and be subject to rot.

According to the Guardian, the database shows that more than 90% of higher education establishments had at least 10% of their building stock judged below the "sound and operationally safe" category". One in 10 institutions had at least 10% of their estate categorised as inoperable and at serious risk of major breakdown.

Universities respond saying they have invested many millions of pounds in their buildings since the assessments were made two years ago.

Landlord fined for fire safety law breaches
03 December 2009

A landlord has been ordered to pay over £20,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaches of fire safety legislation.

City of Westminster magistrates' court fined the landlord £10,150 for seven breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The prosecution followed inspections of the property at 23 Streatham Common North Side in London on 17 April 2007 and 3 October 2007.

London Fire Brigade said the breaches included no fire safety procedures in place or a way of informing tenants about fire safety arrangements, storage blocking an escape route and smoke alarms which had been removed or had low batteries inside them. There was also no fire risk assessment for the premises.

An enforcement notice was served on the premises highlighting the work that needed to be carried out. Fire safety inspectors revisited the property on 3 October 2007 and found that that the notice had not been complied with.

Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation, Steve Turek, said: "Housing providers like the 'Responsible Person' in this case have to carry out a fire risk assessment and even more importantly act upon its findings in a timely manner. Landlords have to know their responsibilities to protect and inform their residents if a fire breaks out. The result of not taking appropriate action can have very serious consequences."

Record £400,000 fine for retailer's fire safety breaches
26 November 2009

High street retailer New Look has been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £136,052 in costs after pleading guilty to two breaches of fire safety legislation, following a serious fire at its Oxford Street store in London.
Thirty five fire engines and around 150 firefighters attended the fire on 26 April 2007, when around 450 people form the store and surrounding premises were evacuated. The first call to the fire service did not come until an office worker in an adjacent building took action, and the delay meant that the fire had already broken through the second floor windows when firefighters arrived. Despite the building's fire alarm sounding, the alarm was reset on at least one occasion, said London Fire Brigade.

Crews remained on the scene for the next three days and a section of Oxford Street was closed to traffic and the public for two days. The cause of the fire was never established and the store was subsequently demolished.

One charge to which New Look pleaded guilty was for an inadequate fire risk assessment which was found to have a number of flaws, including no record of the appropriate procedures to be taken during a fire alarm. Another breach was insufficient staff training, which led to a delayed evacuation of the premises. This lack of training, said LFB, also led to staff evacuating around 150 people through the main entrance which was directly underneath the fire on the second floor.

Other alleged breaches taken into account included the absence of an interface between the swipe card system and the fire alarm panel which would have deactivated the doors. In addition, green emergency door release units were fitted on the wrong side of the basement doors.

Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Councillor Brian Coleman, said: "Good business management includes taking responsibility for fire safety, knowing the law and acting on it. This conviction shows that large companies are not exempt from prosecution and that London Fire Brigade will take action when businesses do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a substantial fine."

Sentencing of New Look took place at Southwark Crown Court on 25 November 2009.