A PUB has been fined more than £9,000 for providing ‘dangerous’ accommodation.
The Swan Pub, South Bar Street in Banbury, was prosecuted by Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue after no action was taken following an inspection which found ‘dangerous practices and inadequate fire safety’.
The pub continued renting out rooms despite being given a prohibition notice and director Alan O’Donovan was ordered to pay £9,200 at Oxford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, November 1.
Oxfordshire County Council deputy leader Rodney Rose said: “It is just not acceptable to put people’s lives at risk.
"Hopefully this prosecution will act as a deterrent to others who think they can ignore what are essential safety measures."
Mr O'Donovan admitted three charges including failure to take general fire precautions as were reasonably required to ensure the first floor bedrooms were safe for public use, failure to ensure it was possible for persons using these rooms to evacuate the premises as quickly and safely as possible and failure to equip the premises with an appropriate fire alarm and detection system, all of which meant those sleeping on the first floor were placed at risk of death or serious injury if there were a fire.
Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service Stuart Garner said: "There is a requirement upon the responsible person, usually the building occupier, operator or owner, to firstly undertake a fire risk assessment and secondly, which in this particular case was most relevant, act upon the outcomes of their significant findings.
"In this particular case, Mr O’Donovan was aware of the fire risk assessment findings and recommendations, but as the Court agreed, he failed to act upon the outcomes in a timely manner, thus placing the public at unnecessary and unjustified risk of fire."
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