Fire safety breaches cost Slough property owner £22,600 in court

The property manager of a building in Slough High Street was ordered to pay fines and costs of more than £22,600 last week for ‘serious’ fire safety breaches.

An investigation by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) in 2023 found that there were ‘several deficiencies’ in a property above a restaurant.

These included inadequate fire doors, insufficient emergency lighting and non-fire resisting glazing that ‘would have compromised the means of escape in an emergency.’

There was also no linked fire detection system between the commercial and residential units.

The property manager, Waheed Afzal, pleaded guilty to six charges at Reading Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 19.

He was fined £16,000, which in addition to the victim surcharge and the fire authority’s prosecution fees, brought the total cost to £22,646.

Michal Kosierb, Fire Safety Enforcement Lead at RBFRS, said:

“This case shows that businesses must take their commitments to fire safety seriously and that we will take action where necessary in the interest of public safety.

“As a service, our purpose is to help keep businesses, people and communities safe. We will continue to work with business owners to help them protect themselves and their livelihoods.

“However, cases like this demonstrate that, if people’s safety is at stake, we will take decisive action to ensure businesses comply with the law.”