Scanlans fined £153,000 over broken Leeds fire alarm and wrong 'stay put' signage

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service prosecuted Scanlans Property Management LLP over serious fire safety failures at Ahlux House, a residential building in Leeds. At Kirklees Magistrates' Court the firm pleaded guilty to failing to comply with an Enforcement Notice under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The offences: a defective fire alarm left unrepaired despite longstanding concerns and numerous false-alarm attendances, and stay-put evacuation notices still displayed even though the building required a simultaneous evacuation.

In sentencing, District Judge Pitts found culpability high and concluded the failures created a high likelihood of serious harm in a fire. The court highlighted the danger that repeated false alarms could breed complacency and delay evacuation in a real emergency. Scanlans was fined £153,000, with a £2,000 victim surcharge and £11,410.15 in prosecution costs — £166,410.15 in total.

£153,000 fine plus £2,000 victim surcharge and £11,410.15 costs — £166,410.15 in total — after a guilty plea at Kirklees Magistrates' Court.

The enforcement notice required action on the fire alarm, but its faults remained unresolved and kept generating false alarms.

Evacuation signage still told residents to 'stay put' although the building's strategy required simultaneous evacuation — guidance that would misdirect residents in a fire.

The court found the responsible person had longstanding concerns in front of it and failed to act, warranting a high-culpability finding.

An enforcement notice is a deadline, not paperwork: known alarm faults and evacuation signage that no longer matches the strategy are the failures a fire court punishes hardest.

WYFRS senior fire protection manager Chris Kemp called the outcome significant, saying it demonstrated that where responsible persons fail to address known fire safety issues the service 'will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action'. The service framed the prosecution, the product of what it described as a lengthy and complex investigation led by Group Manager John Senior, as a message to duty holders that residents must be protected from avoidable risks.