Glovers Court Ltd was found guilty of four offences in relation to the redevelopment of  a former city centre warehouse into 35 apartments spread across six floors.

The Glovers Court project was under construction on 16 May 2023 when it was visited by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS).

A number of fire safety issues were identified and LFRS prohibited the use of the building, meaning residents already living there had to leave their homes.  As construction work was still ongoing, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and HSE worked together to deal with the site.

An HSE inspector found the company was not complying with its duty to ensure suitable fire safety precautions were in place during ongoing construction work.

Those failures included:

• No fire detection system
• No means of raising the alarm in case of a fire
• Inadequate escape plans
• Construction work had not been phased to ensure fire compartmentation was maintained throughout the project to prevent fire spreading to all floors.

HSE served a prohibition notice against Glovers Court Ltd, stopping all further work on the property until adequate fire precautions were in place.  HSE also served an improvement notice requiring the company to design and implement a fire management plan.

But during further visits in June and November 2023, HSE found construction work had been ongoing while no action had been taken to comply with either of the notices.

Glovers Court Ltd, of Kingsway, Altrincham, Cheshire, who have now gone into liquidation, were found guilty of safety breaches in their absence following a trial at Preston Magistrates’ Court and were fined £165,000 and ordered to pay £10,512 in costs.

HSE inspector Christine McGlynn said “This company showed a blatant disregard to both fire safety and the laws in place to protect both people and places.

“Each year there are estimated to be hundreds of fires on construction sites, potentially putting the lives of workers and members of the public at risk.

“Any outbreak of fire threatens the safety of those on site and is costly in terms of its damage and delay. Many can be avoided by careful planning and control of work activities.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service added: “This prosecution highlights the positive outcomes multi agency working has for fire safety in Lancashire.

“It also highlights the critical importance property developers, owners and managers must give to fire safety.

“We welcome the court’s recognition of the seriousness of these breaches and hope this serves as a clear message to all about their legal and moral responsibilities.”