Tesco fined over safety violations
23/04/2010
Supermarket giant Tesco has been fined £95,000 after serious safety breaches were discovered at one of its London stores.
Firefighters called to the Colney Hatch branch in October 2007 discovered inadequate blaze separation techniques and cluttered fire escapes.
Wood Green Crown Court was told that access to the store had been restricted, with emergency services having to alert a member of staff to gain entry to the building. Workers also had to be told to evacuate the premises several times before complying with the order.
Tesco was fined £95,000 and ordered to pay £24,321 in costs after pleading guilty to five breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: "Fire safety is a key part of good business management and the general public should feel safe from fire when they are out shopping. London Fire Brigade will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution."
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