Liverpool landlord fined £28k over blocked fire escape route

The shipping container blocked a safe fire escape route

A landlord has been fined £28,000 for blocking a fire escape route with a shipping container.

The back gate of the Newsham Park Estates Ltd-run house in Belmont Drive, Kensington was also padlocked.

Liverpool City Council inspectors said tenants in the house of multiple occupancy (HMO) would have had no way of escaping if the front door was blocked by fire.

The firm admitted four breaches of HMO regulations.

The inspection also found nine fire doors were in disrepair and holes and gaps in the floors and walls of rooms could have allowed fire to spread more quickly.

Holes in the infrastructure increased the risk of fire spreading

The firm pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Management of House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) Regulations 2006.

It was fined a total of £27,900 for the breaches and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £2,794 plus a victim surcharge of £2,000.

The council said the property has since been re-inspected and the issues have been rectified.

Louise Harford, interim director of housing at the council, said: "The action we have taken means tenants in this property are now living in much safer conditions, and the fine that has been issued sends out a really strong message to landlords who are not complying."

Ms Harford urged any tenants with concerns about disrepair or poor conditions in rental properties to get in touch with the council.