A landlord has been fined more than £3,000 for breaching fire regulations.

Adam Berrington has appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court charged wiith “failing to comply with an enforcement notice” that had been issued by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) regarding a rental property in Widnes.

In May 2021, inspecting officers from CFRS visited the flat and found fire safety breaches relating to the flat door. They included “damage which had the potential to impact the means of escape from the flat and building” and “missing fire door fixtures, increasing the risk of fire and smoke spread”.

Berrington had been advised to rectify the issues relating to the door, with an enforcement notice served in June 2021. However, on their return in September 2021, officers found that he had failed to comply with the notice that had been served.

“Inspecting officers made several more visits to the property to find that appropriate action had still not been taken. Subsequently, Mr Berrington was taken to court” CFRS says.

The landlord was ordered to pay £3,924. During the hearing, magistrates said that Berrington had “failed to engage and co-operate with the Service and did not take reasonable precautions to comply with the enforcement notice”.

Head of Prevention and Protection at CFRS, Area Manager Steve McCormick comments:”Fire safety is an essential part of good property management and Mr Berrington failed to protect his tenant and the other residents in this building from the risk of fire. This was made apparent when he failed to make the property safe following the enforcement notice.

“Prosecuting people is a last resort for our Service, we always work to help and support landlords to provide safe accommodation for their tenants. However, as this case shows, we will take action when fire safety responsibilities are not taken seriously.”