Hotel In Court

Hertford House Hotel have been fined £4000 for breaching fire safety rules after appearring at Hertford Magistrates Court on Monday.

The hotel was prosecuted after failing to comply with a phobibition notice issued at the beginning of December 2010.

Nick Shipton, director and operations manager of the hotel in Parliament Square, Hertford, pleaded guilty to breaching the prohibition notice on two separate occasions in December 2010. He was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,346.

The Hotel had a marquee in place over the patio area during December 2010 for extra dining over the busy Christmas period. The alleyway from the rear patio area was the designated escape route in case of fire in the hotel. A prohibition notice was served on December 2, 2010, to ensure the alleyway was kept clear and secure for public safety.

Nine days later, fire crews noticed combustible items were being stored in the alleyway and carried out an inspection. Unsecured wheelie bins lined the alleyway and blocked the exit. These were cleared at the time and the hotel manager was reminded of what was required.

However, on December 16, 2010 a duty fire officer visited the premises and again found rubbish and wheelie bins blocking the escape route.

Richard Thake, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: “We strive to work with businesses and other organisations to create a safe and prosperous community and we ensure our actions are fair and proportionate to the risk involved.

"Where there is a serious and imminent risk we will serve a prohibition notice so as to protect life. Non-compliance with a prohibition notice is an offence and we will take legal action on the person or the company responsible."