Shop owner fined £1.7k over breach
A Sunderland shop owner has been told to pay £1,700 after failing to comply with fire safety laws.
Usman Ali, who owns Ray’s Discount Store, in Villette Road, Hendon, was fined for failing to reply to Article 27 letters sent by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
He was also ordered to pay the full amount of legal costs totalling £600, plus a victim surcharge of £100.
Mr Ali did not attend the initial court hearings earlier this year, and, after deciding to proceed in his absence, Sunderland magistrates found the case brought against him by Tyne and Wear Fire Authority proven on March 29.
Mr Ali told the Echo that he never received the letters and had he done so, he would have responded to them. However, the service said it gives business owners ‘every opportunity’ to comply before taking action.
The court heard that an officer from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service went to the store on August 23, 2016, to carry out a fire safety audit.
However, as there was only one staff member present and Mr Ali was unavailable, it was not possible to conduct the audit at this time.
Article 27 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 gives fire officers the power to require the owner of a business to allow them full access to inspect the premises and provide information in relation to fire precautions.
The service claimed they made every effort by to contact Mr Ali by telephone and in writing, and that he failed repeatedly to co-operate by disregarding requests for appointments, including two Article 27 letters.
The case was re-opened today and Ali pleaded guilty.