Firm fined for fire safety training breach

A firm is being fined £20,000 for breaching fire safety regulations, including failure to provide suitable fire safety training, a source has revealed.

Munro Importers, an electrical supplier from Ipswich, pleaded guilty to nine breaches, including not offering fire safety training, obstructing exits and failing to provide a risk assessment, reports the Evening Star.

A spokesman for Suffolk county council told the newspaper it hopes the case will give the "very strong message" it is willing to enforce fire regulations if they are not followed.

"Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service will enforce serious and continued breaches of fire regulations to ensure the safety of persons in Suffolk and visitors to our county," the representative said.

Munro Importers has been ordered to pay fines of £20,000 and costs of over £7,000 by the county's magistrates' court.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, employers are required to provide a fire safety risk assessment and take appropriate measures to protect those working for them.