A RESTAURANT owner has been ordered to pay thousands of pounds after failing to respond to requests for information relating to fire safety.

Abdul Miah, of Misbah Tandoori Restaurant in Monmouth, has been fined £3,021 at Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court.

Business fire safety officers from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service inspected the restaurant in June 2021.

The inspection found “inadequate fire safety provisions at the premises”, and an enforcement notice was issued detailing the necessary remedial work required to make the premises safe.

Throughout the investigation, officers made requests for information relating to the fire safety provisions within the premises.

The requests were “continually ignored” by Miah, the leaseholder of the premises, leading to the South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority pursuing the matter through the courts.

Miah pleaded guilty to three offences under Article 27 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, November 24, and was fined a total of £3,021, including costs. 

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the fine could have been avoided had Miah responded to its requests.

The investigation into the fire safety contraventions is still ongoing.

Head of business fire safety for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, group manager St. John Towell, said: “Our role is to enforce fire safety legislation in premises that fall within the scope of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and ensure that these premises are safe.

“We do this by working with businesses across South Wales to support them to protect their business from risk.

“In this instance, we went out of our way to seek out basic information to enable us to follow legal protocols.

“The court viewed this matter to be so serious that they imposed the fine.

“As you can see in this case, the fines and costs received are solely attributed to the failure to provide information.

“This is a clear message to members of the business community that they need to respond to formal requests made by fire and rescue services.”

Information about the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and its impact businesses can be found at southwales-fire.gov.uk.