Barrow restaurant owner charged for fire safety breaches
The manager of a restaurant in the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness has been given a suspended jail term after alarming fire safety breaches were uncovered at the premises.
Fire safety officers first identified problems at the Mithali restaurant on Dalton Road after inspecting the property in November 2009. They found a number of failings, most of which are covered in basic fire safety training. The building had no proper fire risk assessment, nor did it have fire alarms or emergency lighting.
The fire exit was deemed to be inadequate and the fire extinguishers had not been properly maintained.
At the time of the visit, inspectors also found that people (presumed to be restaurant staff) were living on the upper floors above the restaurant. The manager, Ferdus Ahmed, was told that staff could not live there yet six employees were found in occupancy of the upper rooms when inspectors visited again a year later.
In this latest visit, Ahmed made some improvements to fire safety measures at the Mithali restaurant. However, for ignoring a Prohibition Notice the first time around, he was given a six-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs. He was also required to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.
With so many online first safety training courses it has become easier to comply with fire safety rules and avoid such charges.