The managing agents of a block of flats, in Paddington, London, have been fined £100,000 and ordered to pay almost £13,000 costs after pleading guilty to three breaches of fire safety law. The leasehold owner was fined £33,000 after pleading guilty to one offence under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order : 2005.
Following a fire in one of the flats, London Fire Brigade Officers carried out an audit of communal areas and found a number of fire safety breaches, which included failure to ensure the electrical intake cupboard was locked and ensuring that fire doors were self-closing.
In a statement, following the sentence, the managing agents Douglas and Gordon Ltd. said they were "surprised at the level of the fine as they believed the breaches represented a low level of risk"