A Manchester shop owner has been fined £9,000 after pleading guilty to nine breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Ahtezaz Akhtar was handed a fine of £1,000 for each breach of the order, plus a further £4,200 of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service’s costs at a hearing on 23 May at Tameside Magistrates Court.
The Best One off licence in Ashton was used as a convenience store and off licence with workers sleeping on the floors above the shop. The premises had no basic fire safety measures in place, and an inspection from a fire officer in August 2011 revealed a litany of dangers.
There was no fire alarm system in place, and the upper floors – which were accessible via the only staircase – were left vulnerable to a fire spreading from the shop due to there being no fire doors in place at the top or bottom of the stairs.
To further aggravate matters, the shop was secured with roller shutters which would delay or even prevent escape in the event of a fire.