Landlord pays the price for fire trap house
Friday 6th June 2014
A landlord in Bury, Great Manchester, has been ordered to pay almost £20,000 for breaching fire safety regulations.
Zohar Khan of Hampton Grove, Bury, was fined £17,000, ordered to pay Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) £2,223 in costs, and a £120 victim surcharge, following a hearing at Bury and Rochdale Magistrates Court on 2 June.
The 45-year-old pleaded guilty to five offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at a house in multiple occupancy on Walmersley Road, Bury.
The court heard there were combustible items in the hall and landings, which would have helped a fire take hold and spread quickly.
There were no fire doors and holes in the ceilings which meant a fire in any part of the property would have quickly spread with smoke and toxic gases blocking the only escape route.
There was no way of warning tenants about a fire as the fire alarm was faulty and switched off and a battery operated smoke detector which had been fitted was in the wrong place and could not be heard in the bedsits.
Abigail Hudson, prosecuting for GMFRS, said: "A fire anywhere would quickly fill the only escape route with smoke. If the electrics failed, the lack of emergency lighting would mean the escape route would be dark and filled with smoke becoming impassable." see full article at
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