Norwich housing manager fined £18k for ‘serious’ fire safety breaches
The housing manager of a property above an Indian restaurant in Norwich has been fined for breaching fire safety regulations.
Abdul Bashir was fined £18,000 by Norwich magistrates and ordered to pay costs of around £2,200 for several breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, reports Norwich Evening News.
As the license holder of the four-storey property in Prince of Wales Road, Mr Bashir was deemed responsible for compliance with the regulations.
The lives of restaurant staff who lived in the upstairs rooms would have been in danger in the event of a fire as Mr Bashir failed to ensure fire escapes were kept clear and failed to keep fire alarms in working order.
Luke Parker, for Norwich City Council, said: “These are serious breaches primarily relating to fire safety, which the council considers unacceptable,” quotes the newspaper.
“The prosecution was brought because he has a history of failing to maintain living conditions in a safe and proper manner at this property. He has been warned about conditions before but failed to improve and maintain the means of escape in case of fire.”
