Manchester bar owner fined for breaching fire safety rules
The owner of a shisha bar in Manchester has been found guilty of ten food safety offences and will be sentenced in Manchester Crown Court in September.
Nowaf Mohamed Khalif Al-Anazi, the owner of the Fatoosh Café in Rusholme, was prosecuted after fire safety regulators inspected his premises and found shocking fire safety breaches. Problems at the bar included many of the basics included in fire safety training courses, such as:
- A propane cylinder and wood (a flammable substance) were stored next to open fire and could have exploded. This presented a serious risk to the health and safety of staff and customers.
- Poor housekeeping and management
- Unsafe electrics in the kitchen
- No working fire alarms
- The only escape route if a fire broke out was an open wooden staircase, which could potentially have trapped customers on the first floor in a fire emergency
When the Fatoosh Café was inspected last October and the problems uncovered, fire officers issued Mr Al-Anazi with a Prohibition Notice. This effectively bans the building from being used for any purpose.
The Director of Prevention and Protection for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Peter O’Reilly commented on the case, saying:
“Mr Al-Anazi failed to take the most basic steps to protect his staff and customers and then flouted the Prohibition Notice and did not comply with an Enforcement Notice served on him.”