Morecambe pair who ran social club sentenced over fatal fire

Failings included assessing the risks of using with a fan heater using liquefied petroleum gas

A mother and son who ran a social club have been sentenced for fire safety breaches which led to the deaths of two men.

John McCartney, 60, and 70-year-old Philip Townsend, known as Tony, died as a result of the fire at Gordon Working Men's Club in Morecambe on 9 October.

Heather Goffin, 55, admitted 13 charges while Callum Goffin, 26, admitted six.

The former was jailed for eight months while the latter was handed a six-month jail term, suspended for twelve.

Mr McCartney and Mr Townsend were rescued by firefighters but both men died a short time later, Preston Crown Court heard.

Ten fire engines were at the scene of the blaze at its height.

Investigators discovered a significant number of fire safety breaches in the aftermath, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said.

Heather and Callum Goffin ran the club

The most serious was a failure to identify and control the risks associated with a fan heater using liquefied petroleum gas, and being unable to evacuate the building safely as an external security door was locked which prevented a fire exit from fully opening.

Spokesman Matthew Hamer said: "Visiting any premises should be a safe activity and no-one should be in a position where their lives are at risk because fire safety isn't treated as a priority.

"The fire safety failings at the Gordon Club were extremely serious and led to the deaths of both John and Tony.

"All businesses must ensure that where fire exits are fitted with security measures, these do not prevent people from leaving safely in the event of an emergency."

'Dangerous'

Lisa McCartney, Mr McCartney's daughter, said she and her mother could now "try and comprehend what we've lost".

"My dad was vulnerable and died in a terrible way," she said, speaking after the sentencing.

"We just hope lessons are learnt from this and we can pick ourselves up from it."

An external security door was locked which stopped the safe evacuation of the building, LFRS said

Kelly Carr, the daughter of Mr Townsend, thanked Lancashire Police and the fire service for providing the evidence at "how horrific these circumstances were and how dangerous it was".

"My dad, Tony, a grandfather and great grandfather should not have died that day. He should have been able to get out."

She said the sentence "reflects the seriousness of the multiple breaches of health and safety".

Mr Goffin, who was director of the club, was also ordered to do 200 hours unpaid community work.

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