Elderly Blackpool hotel entrepreneur who allowed fire doors to be wedged open will be sentenced in May

Aheed Sultan, 75, of The Avenue, Loughton, Essex, allowed a policy of 'wedging 'fire doors in the open position at the premises on Albert Road, formerly known as the Silver Beach Hotel.

The prosecution does not relate to the Plaza Beach hotel on the Prom.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Authority mounted an investigation following an inspection of the hotel brought about by a raid by the Gangmaster and Illegal Labour Agency.

Prosecuting, Joe Hart said Sultan, who ran three hotels in Blackpool for a number of years, is now suffering dementia and is not fit to attend court.

Sultan has admitted a string of 10 fire safety flouts, including allowing fire doors to be wedged open and failing to provide adequate alarms and detectors amongst other matters.

On the day the fire service went in to inspect the premises, a family was trying to check into the hotel as they were considering closing it.

He admits failing to maintain adequate general fire precautions which placed people at risk of death or serious injury in a fire, failing to maintain adequate fire separation between the basement and ground, failing to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, and failing to make arrangements for the planning, organisation, control of fire safety measures by allowing a policy of 'wedging 'fire doors on the 'open' position.

In addition he failed to provide appropriate fire detectors and alarms, remove combustible materials on the means of escape, failed to provide an adequate fire doors with self-closers on strips and seals on escape routes, or locks on the rear basement door and front basement emergency doors so they could be easily and immediately opened.

He also admits failing to provide emergency exits with emergency lighting of adequate intensity, and failing to maintain the fire alarm and exit door lighting.

Judge Philip Parry said he had seen a report about the defendant's decline and agreed he could be sentenced in his absence on May 13.

(proceeding)

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