A Lancashire landlord was jailed and ordered to pay £10,414 after putting the lives and safety of both residents and employees at risk by failing to comply with fire safety regulations.

Rogue landlord Angela Chang pleaded guilty to six breaches of a fire safety order at Great Fortune House, 120 Victoria Rd West, and 16 St Georges Lane in Thornton-Cleveleys

Lancashire Fire and Rescue (LFRS) said their safety officers inspected the properties in March 2021 and issued a prohibition notice on the flats above the premises. They were occupied at the time by several employees of the Great Fortune House, a family of three and a builder undertaking work on the premises.

Officers found that the buildings were not equipped with appropriate fire detectors and alarms and pictures showed the properties were filled with rubbish and old mattresses which prevented her tenants from exiting the building safely.

The six offences to which Chang pleaded guilty to were:

• Failure to take such general fire safety precautions so as to ensure the safety of tenants.
• Failure to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
• Failure to ensure that the premises were equipped with appropriate fire detectors and alarms.
• Failure to ensure that people could evacuate the premises as quickly and safely as possible.
• Failure to properly maintain an appropriate fire evacuation procedure for the premises.
• Failure to safeguard the safety of relevant persons by ensuring that any facilities, equipment and devices provide.

LFRS said the breaches posed a serious threat to the life and safety of the tenants and anyone else who may visit the property

Chang was prosecuted for her failure to comply with the fire safety order and the prohibition notice, she pleaded guilty to all six charges and was sentenced at Preston Crown court on March 19 to three months imprisonment, she was also ordered to pay £10,414 in costs to LFRS.

Ian Armistead, Protection Department Group manager for LFRS, said: Ms Angela Chang is the responsible person for these premises, and as such has a legal duty to ensure that people who use her premises are provided with a safe environment. We hope that this prosecution will ensure that the standard of her properties is kept within the requirements of the law. We would hope that the outcome of this particular case where a custodial sentence has been issued, sends a clear message that fire safety must always be a priority. In this instance the consequences of the inadequate fire safety measures and inadequate management could have led to serious injury or loss of life and the circumstances left us with no other option but to take this action.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service say they will always work with those willing to address fire safety issues and businesses can be assured that we will continue to support them in complying with the Fire Safety Order, in addition they say they are urging local residential landlords to take action in complying with fire safety regulations

Guidance on how to comply with legal requirement for both residential and commercial lettings can be found in the Business Safety section of their website https://www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/safety/business-safety

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