25 Oct 2012
A landlord in Lytham St Annes has received a suspended prison sentence after a judge said that the fire safety failings on his properties were the worst she had ever seen.
Mr Neil Gilligan had sub-divided a number of properties in to flats. Fire safety officers carried out an investigation after a fire broke out in one of the flats in December 2010.
They found that escape routes had been blocked by broken furniture and boxes. Equipment such as fire extinguishers and emergency lighting had not been properly maintained. Fire alarms had been switched off or were damaged.
The breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 200 evident in Mr Gilligan’s properties were found to be putting his tenants at serious risk. After all seven properties were found to have serious failings, enforcement notices were issued and then extended on two occasions.
Mr Gilligan was given a six-moth prison sentence, suspended for 18 months at a hearing on October 11. He had previously pleaded guilty to 13 offences and will also be subjected to a six-month night time curfew between 7pm and 7am.
Copyright Press Association 2012