Venues are warned over fire safety
Notices issued to bars, takeaways and hotel
A bar and Indian restaurant are some of the places in Maidstone failing to meet fire safety standards.
Throughout 2018-19, Kent Fire and Rescue (KFRS) provided figures to the Home Office showing it reviewed more than 1,517 public buildings and flats in the county and found a fifth around 300 - were breaching fire regulations and changes were required.
It has issued 839 written warnings over the year and 179 formal notices comprising of 149 enforcement notices, stating what improvements are needed and when if a serious risk is found and 28 prohibition notices banning or restricting use of premises until problems are sorted.
During the year 51 places were brought back into satisfactory standards.
Safety breaches could include inadequate ways to escape such as blocked exits, the number of people inside a building exceeding its capacity, or unsuitable fire detection.
However the fire service says buildings with prohibition notices can still be used, as long as the owners work within restrictions placed on it. Up-to-date figures provided by the National Fire Chiefs Council show there are 37 prohibition notices in force across the county.
One of these is for The Source Bar in Rose Yard, Maidstone. Owner Steve Moore confirmed he was in discussions with KFRS to resolve concerns the club’s street parties did not have an adequate evacuation policy. It has been restricted to 350 guests at one time as opposed to the usual 1,100.
Another notice was issued to Coxheath Tandoori, in Heath Road, Coxheath and Natural Relax, a wellness centre in Maidstone’s Mill Street.
Failure to comply with the prohibition notice restrictions can lead to enforcement action, including prosecution. There was one prosecution in the year relating to accommodation in
Swanley.
Across Kent, the figures show takeaways, a care home and a hotel are subjected to the same notices. One hotel in Canterbury has had a warning in place since 2009.
A KFRS spokeswoman said the design of some buildings could never reduce the risk to remove the restrictions and as long as owners worked within the limits set, the venue could still be used and no offence would be committed.
Mark Woodward, group manager for building safety said: “Cases vary in complexity. Where a combination of breaches in fire precautions causes the fire service to deem there is a risk so serious to life, a prohibition notice will be served to restrict its use, or parts of its use, to ensure safety.”