Large Milton Keynes hotel had no working fire alarms and smoke detectors, court hears

A large Milton Keynes hotel is facing a huge fine today after a judge heard how guests had to be evacuated in the middle of the night because the fire alarms were broken and smoke detectors were deliberately disabled.

The drama happened when one of the regular guests at the 80-bedroom Campanile in Fenny Stratford noticed all of the smoke detectors were covered with a red plastic cover.

He called the fire brigade and the place had to be evacuated and then closed for urgent repairs to the alarm system.

The Campanile, opposite Pink Punters in Watling Street, is owned by international hotel chain Milcardar Limited, which had a turnover of almost £8 million in both 2017 and 2018.

Staff at the hotel had claimed to be unaware of any problems with the fire alarms when firefighters arrived, prosecutors for the London Fire Brigade told Aylesbury Crown Court today.

All of the rooms at the hotel were occupied when it was evacuated in the early hours of August 7 2018, the judge heard.

Further investigation found that, after the hotel’s fire detection alarm system was condemned, there were no working smoke detectors between June 26 to August 7 2018, a period of six weeks.

Prosecuting, Edmund Gritt said: “It would have been necessary to replace the alarm immediately and most likely, given the state of the old system, close the hotel until that work was done. Instead, the danger drifted on.

“An investigation audit of the premises established a history of failures. It identified the alarm system at the premises had a history of frequent malfunctions.

“On the evidence, we would say there is a lackadaisical culture affecting the management of fire safety issues and something of a systemic failure.”

Milcardar Ltd was a mutual company with the world's 5th largest hotel group, Louvre Hotels Group, which operated the CampaNile brand, as well as the five-star Royal Tulip brand.

Judge Francis Sheridan, hearing how the company had failed to comply with health and safety laws, told the court: “It is quite a fall from grace.

“I do not think it was financially motivated, I think the hotel was just appallingly run. It appears to me that is what this case is about.

“After the disaster in London, I should hope every hotel would have reviewed their fire safety procedures.”

Mark Aldridge, a director of Milcardar Ltd, admitted three counts of failing to comply with health and safety regulations, and Milcardar Ltd admitted six counts of the same charge.

The court heard the Campanile had lost around £30,000 in revenue after closing to repair the fire alarm system.

Defending both Mr Aldridge and the company, Adrian Darbishire QC said: “There are quite a lot of lessons to be learned for the company I represent and indeed for the individuals. There has been a programme of rolling out of the guides to the fire alarm systems across not just the CampaNile but other Louvre hotels in the UK."

He added: “There was a lack of training for the manager who worked under Mr Aldridge, but also Mr Aldridge himself had not had appropriate training.

“Mr Aldridge, whilst he failed in some of his responsibilities, was placed in quite a difficult position. He was not well supported.”

Mr Darbishire added that NSF International, an American testing company which had been contracted to test the fire safety systems, created a policy to carry out fire risk assessment and to prescribe staff training in the Campanile hotel, had not carried out its duties properly.

Judge Sheridan, agreeing, said: “The contractors they [the hotel] were relying on, let them down totally.”

Indicating to Aldridge that he would not receive a jail term but a fine, Judge Sheridan said his leniency to would likely lead to a harsher penalty for Milcardar Ltd.

The sentencing hearing was adjourned for a later date as the court has yet to decide whether to launch a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing against Milcardar Ltd.