Cheshire takeaway fined £24k for fire safety breaches

A Cheshire takeaway has been fined more than £24,000 for a number of breaches to fire safety regulations. The owners of the Buffet City outlet on Newgate Street in Chester were ordered by Chester Magistrates Court to pay a total of £24,067 in fines and court costs after being found guilty of six offences of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The fast food restaurant did not have a working fire alarm, emergency escape lighting or a suitable fire exit, while the owners also failed to carry out a suitable fire risk assessment. Keith Brooks,

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service's head of community fire protection, claimed that it was an "extremely serious" case of a business putting the lives of its staff at considerable risk from fire. "Staff sleeping in a workplace must be able to escape safely in the event of a fire," he said. "We are determined to protect the lives of those living and working across Cheshire and so we will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously."