Hotelier fined £30,000 for fire safety offences

The former owner of a Whitley Bay hotel has been fined £30,000 after a court heard of a catalogue of fire safety breaches.

The failings were discovered after a blaze broke out in the back yard of the Ambassador hotel in South Parade, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, in May 1999.

Earlier this year, North Shields magistrates heard how rubbish was set alight and, when two guests saw the flames, they tried to set off a glass-fronted alarm, only to discover it was broken. The glass had been replaced by cardboard. The guests then grabbed a fire extinguisher, only to find it was empty.

A 17-year-old receptionist had no training in fire safety procedures and it was one of the guests who ended up calling the fire brigade, the court heard.

Firefighters later found a jammed fire escape door, heat sensors obstructed by false ceilings, faulty fire extinguishers and broken emergency lighting.

The former owner, Subash Puri, admitted 12 charges relating to safety breaches.

Magistrates decided they did not have sufficient sentencing powers and committed Puri to Newcastle Crown Court, warning that he faced a possible prison sentence. However, the crown court fined him £2,500 on each charge, with £1,367 costs.

The hotel was sold to new owners in February and is now called the New Ambassador.

by Nigel Green