Two bosses of an Indian restaurant in Plymouth have pleaded guilty to four offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Taklus Hussain and Faizul Hoque were each fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £2,300 each in costs after a fire last November at the Mutley Spice restaurant in Mutley. A subsequent inspection found inadequate fire detection and alarm provisions, blocked stairwells leading to sleeping accommodation above, no suitable training of staff, and no suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
A prohibition notice was issued on the use of the sleeping accommodation above the restaurant which was being used by two members of staff.
Presiding magistrate Diana Greene said: “We were horrified at the extent of your non-compliance. If a random passer-by had not seen the smoke, the outcome could have been extremely different. It hardly bears thinking about.”
The court heard that the fire was caused after a member of staff left a heater on.
Kingsley Keat, prosecutor for the Devon and Fire Rescue Authority, confirmed that both parties wished to work with the fire service to determine what the premises could be used for, and had co-operated fully with them regarding the issues identified.
