|
Successful prosecutions for north and south fire services |
|
|
|
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority has successfully prosecuted a man for the illegal storage of fireworks. Terence Hartley was sentenced to six months in prison after he was found to be storing 33 cartons of fireworks and 34 loose fireworks, most of which were rockets, which had a total net explosive content of 157.1kg. He admitted breaching the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005. Roger Marris, Senior Petroleum and Explosives Inspector for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “As the judge quite rightly pointed out in court, this was an extremely serious offence, hence the custodial sentence. This offence could have had a very grave outcome because the fireworks were stored dangerously in the living room of the house. We take the illegal storage of fireworks very seriously and anybody found to be breaking the law will be prosecuted, as is the case today.” London Fire Brigade has also secured a successful prosecution for a Barnet wood recycling firm, which has been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £7,000. Wood Recycling Services Limited was fined the maximum £1,000 for each of the three charges only seven months after a similar prosecution. The company had a major fire at its premises in 2005. On July 16, 2005 an accidental fire started in the company’s main wood stack, causing closure of nearby railway lines and a number of roads, including the A406 and the M1. At the height of the incident, around 100 firefighters and 20 fire engines were needed to control the blaze at the premises off Brent Terrace, Cricklewood. Firefighting activities went on for four days and the brigade has monitored the site closely ever since. An inspecting officer visited the premises in September 2007 and found the size and volume of flammable material appeared to exceed fire safety requirements and that necessary consent from London Fire Brigade had not been obtained. Evidence from a land surveyor confirmed the flammable material did exceed the size limits imposed by the legislation in three of the four stacks. In two instances the limits were exceeded by a significant degree.
The company pleaded guilty on February 5, 2008 at Brent Magistrates’ Court. The magistrates highlighted the fact that this offence was committed very soon after their previous conviction and fined them the maximum allowed. They also ordered them to pay the Brigade £4,000 costs. London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Max Hood, said: “I would like to thank all of the staff who made this prosecution successful, and remind those responsible for properties and premises of the need to abide by the law and carry out a proper fire risk assessment.”
|
