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Over 1,200 hotels and Bed & Breakfasts were found to be in breach of fire safety regulations since October 2006, according to new information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Liberal Democrats’ request for information about the number of enforcement notices issued by fire authorities reveal that hotels and guesthouses account for almost one third of businesses warned. The research found that:
Over one in 20 businesses were classified as unsafe when audited by their local fire and rescue service.
Nearly one third of businesses audited in Cornwall failed their fire safety check, including 180 hotels and guesthouses.
The number of audits carried out varied massively from area to area, with some services only carrying out around 500 audits compared to an average of 2,000.
Commenting on the findings, Liberal Democrat shadow communities and local government secretary, Julia Goldsworthy, who is also MP for Falmouth and Camborne, said: “These are some very worrying results. Far too few businesses, including hotels and B&Bs, are complying with the new fire safety regulations. Employees and customers are being put at risk because firms are not receiving enough support to ensure they are protected from the risk of fires.”
The Liberal Democrats submitted Freedom of Information requests to fire authorities asking them to provide details of the number of audits that have been carred out on non-domestic properties under the Regulatory Reform Order; the number of properties served with enforcement notices under the Order;
the number of prohibition notices issued; and how many of these properties were providing sleeping accommodation since October 2006.