A TANDOORI restaurant in Oxfordshire has been fined more than £1,600 for breaching fire safety rules.

Fire officers made an unannounced visit to Wallingford Tandoori on High Street and found that owners failed to protect fire escape routes and there were also unsufficient fire alarms inside.

Owner Mohammed Zaman appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates court today (April 1) where he was found guilty of four charges under the fire safety legislation and fined for two of them a total of £1,640 with costs of £1,000.

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The low level of fine reflected Mr Zaman’s current financial situation.

Officers visited the restaurant in May 2019 and discovered it was operating on the ground floor and had several bedrooms above the premise over two upper floors.

Following a complaint that fire safety measures were insufficient, a fire safety audit was conducted and inspectors found that the premises were so dangerous that they were left with no alternative but to prohibit the use of the building for sleeping until safety measures were improved.

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As a consequence, they ordered the immediate removal of tenants on safety grounds by use of a prohibition notice so that it could not to be used for sleeping or resting.

Chris Wilson, from Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service, who attended the premises on the date of the inspection, said: "We are finding an increasing number of restaurants and takeaways with sleeping accommodation above, where no fire safety measures have been implemented.

"Business owners have a legal duty to put fire safety measures in place."

Issuing of a prohibition notice restricts the use of any premises providing accommodation that does not meet the accepted standards of fire safety.