Fire Safety Breaches lead to Suspended Prison Sentence

The owner of a restaurant in South Wales was handed a four month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to 13 fire safety breaches.

Abdul Kadir, who owned the Raj Gate Indian restaurant in the large village of Ponthir, will also have to pay £5,329.76 in costs and work 250 hours of community service, reports the South Wales Argus.

The presiding judge, Christopher Llewellyn-Jones, said that the offences, which included 11 counts of failing to comply with a fire service, were “very grave”.

Mr Kadir was also charged with two counts of failing to comply with a prohibition notice, which commanded that he cease trading until the violations were rectified.

Some of the fire safety breaches found in 2008 in the Raj Gate restaurant were obstructions of emergency exit routes, having poorly-maintained fire detection and alarm systems and trailing extension leads.

The fire extinguishers were also in an inadequate state, having no pin or seal and having not been tested since 2004.

Lighthouse offer a full range of services to alleviate these issues in order to protect your staff and business. A Fire Risk Assessment and Emergency Plan is the start point, however it doesn’t stop there, we can train your Fire Wardens, arrange for your extinguishers to be inspected annually, and for your Fire Alarm to be tested too. Why not call us for more information.