Housing association Mount Green has been ordered to pay a fine of £120,635, after fire safety failings led to the death of a vulnerable resident in one of its properties.
In January 2022, a fire broke out at Mount Green’s Greylees site in Godalming, Surrey. During the blaze, a wheelchair-using resident was unable to escape before “being overcome by heat and smoke in the communal corridor”.
Several other residents were rescued by fire and rescue crews, some of whom required hospital treatment due to smoke inhalation.
Mount Green pleaded guilty to charges brought by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, and the fine was issued by Staines Magistrates’ Court at a sentencing hearing last week.
The housing association was responsible for the building’s fire safety measures, and admitted breaching the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which in turn “put people at risk of death and serious injury”.
This included failures to attach a self-closing device to a flat entrance door, to provide an appropriately configured system for the premises’ stay-put policy and to address recommendations dating back as far as 2019.
Lee Spencer-Smith, area commander at Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, said: “First and foremost, the thoughts of everyone here at the service remain with the loved ones of the person who lost their life in January 2022.
“This sentencing was about accountability in terms of public safety. This is something that we, alongside many other public bodies, are working hard to encourage. Responsible persons have a duty of care to their residents, particularly the most vulnerable members of the community.
“This outcome highlights the consequences of failures in fire safety management and the critical need for proactive, responsible action to protect people.”
Marcus Canning, director of Mount Green, said: “Having pleaded guilty to the three charges brought against Mount Green Housing Association by Surrey County Council in relation to fire safety breaches at one of our properties in 2022 that resulted in the tragic loss of Mr Waller’s life, we fully accept the fine that has subsequently been issued. We recognise how difficult this process has been for Mr Waller’s family, and we extend our deepest sympathies to them.
“A remedial works programme to address fire safety issues at Greylees, which began in April 2021, was completed in June 2023. We remain committed to taking every learning point on board and have implemented changes to strengthen our processes and policies. We continue to work closely with residents across all MGHA’s housing stock to provide assurance that their homes are safe.
“Our focus continues to be on ensuring our residents’ homes are safe.”
This comes shortly after the Health and Safety Executive issued a £400,000 fine to Connect Property Services, a maintenance company owned by Peabody, after an employee died from inhaling toxic fumes on the job. Darren Nevill, aged 38, died while laying a vinyl bathroom floor, when a hose to the pressurised glue canister became damaged, releasing high levels of adhesive into the poorly ventilated room.
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