Firm fined for flouting fire safety laws at Sheffield student block
- Published
"Serious fire safety concerns" were found at the student flats in Sheffield
A company has been fined £36,000 for flouting fire safety laws at a student accommodation block.
Dust covers had been left on smoke detectors among other defects at the block on Rockingham Lane in Sheffield, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said.
Ashgate Property Developments Ltd admitted three offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The firm was sentenced at Sheffield Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
The fire service visited the flats in 2017 after a resident raised concerns about fire safety.
It said during the inspection and subsequent visits "serious fire safety concerns were found".
These included poor fire separation between flats and the corridor escape route when tenants moved into the property.
A roller shutter door that could have been a fire escape route was also "inadequate".
An enforcement notice to fix the defects was issued and the door was prohibited from being closed at night.
Steve Helps, from the fire service, said: "This verdict should serve as a stark warning to property developers and landlords that they have a duty under fire safety laws to ensure people sleeping in premises they're responsible for are safe from the risk of fire."
The company was also ordered to pay prosecution costs of £12,629.
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