A fine of more than £120,000 was issued to the two directors of an East Sussex residential care company after “the most serious” fire safety breaches were found across the company’s portfolio.
The prosecution of Thuraisamy Ravichandran and Radha Ravichandran, both directors of Care Pro (Southeast) Ltd, was brought after inspections performed by East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) in October and November 2022 found numerous breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
As reported by the Sussex Express, fire inspection officers from ESFRS found fire safety failings across four Care Pro properties in Bexhill, East Sussex. A total of 12 breaches were found at Park Apartments, Eden Lodge, and Park View, all on Egerton Road, and Beau Lodge on Jameson Road, that covered failures in the discharging of duties regarding general fire precautions, risk assessment, firefighting, and fire detection and maintenance.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to all 12 offences and as a result were fined £110,000, £27,500 for four charges, with the remaining eight having no separate penalty awarded. Combined with a £2,000 victim surcharge and £12,455 costs, the total fine amounted to £124,455.
Head of fire safety for ESFRS, Area Manager George O’Reill, said: “ESFRS are legally required to enforce the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. We take this responsibility seriously and we will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone responsible for placing people at risk of death or injury from fire due to their failures to meet the requirements of this legislation.”
Adding to this, Craig Williams, group protection legislation and enforcement manager, said: “The fire service considers this one of the most serious cases we have ever prosecuted due to a number of offences found in various premises operated by the company.
“The fine handed down by the court reflects the serious nature of the offences. Owners and those responsible for any premises where the fire service find fire safety contraventions are reminded of the potential consequences, including unlimited fines and potential custodial sentences.”