Brighton fish and chip shop fined over fire safety violations
The owner of a fish and chip shop in Brighton has been fined more than £20,000 for breaching fire safety laws.
Samantha Coull, the owner of the Beach Break Café in Brighton, was prosecuted after fire safety officers uncovered a series of problems at her business. At Brighton Magistrates Court, it was revealed that there was only one smoke alarm on the premises and it was faulty.
The shop owner had also failed to carry out a proper fire risk assessment and install emergency lighting, as well as neglected to provide her staff with fire safety training.
According to Brighton and Hove News, the breaches were uncovered after a fire broke out at the Beach Break Café in 2011. Firefighters had to evacuate neighbouring premises due to the severity of the blaze.
Ms Coull was fined £21,000 after pleading guilty to six breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Commenting on the case, the head of protection at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service Richard Fowler said:
“The public should continue to be reassured that we take any breaches of fire safety legislation very seriously,”