Hanging a new mirror? Better get out the rulebook

HOMEOWNERS putting in new fireplaces or hanging large mirrors could face fines for not following building regulations.

Ministers are considering expanding the rules after being told that young children were being killed by faulty workmanship.

Isabella Pritchard, six, suffered head injuries and died in hospital after a stone fireplace surround installed by a tradesman fell on her. The coroner investigating her case warned there could be more deaths unless ‘urgent action’ was taken.

Now Housing Secretary Sajid Javid is considering action, official letters reveal. Any new regime could affect DIY enthusiasts as well as tradesmen and fireplace makers. They could be liable to a fine from their local council or prosecuted if they fail to comply with regulations on the installation or manufacture of heavy fixtures.

In a letter to Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford, Mr Javid said: ‘Given the tragic nature of this incident, I will ask the building regulations advisory committee to reconsider their previous advice not to regulate stone fire surrounds and other heavy decorative items that require substantial fixings for their safety, such as large mirrors.’

Isabella died at the family home in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, in July 2012. Jack Miles, three, died after a marble fireplace surround crushed him at his home in Gateshead in February 2016.