Wellingborough town centre hotel handed £75,000 fine for failing to meet fire safety requirements
The Hind Hotel in Sheep Street, Wellingborough has been fined £75,000 for neglecting fire safety practices which could have ‘placed one or more relevant persons at risk of death or serious injury in case of fire.’
Marcus Holden, the lone director of the Hind Hotel pleaded guilty on behalf of the defendant, Hind Wellingborough Limited, on July 29, 2025, and appeared at Wellingborough Magistrates Court yesterday (Tuesday, November 4) for sentencing.
Prosecutor, Karl Meakin, noted that a report from Ise Fire ‘does stress the importance of fire alarms, given the nature of the property’, and that due to the age of the Grade II listed building there is an ‘increased need for adequate measures for fire safety.’
Mr Meakin added: “There have been interventions and notifications of these problems and the lack of action shows a flagrant disregard for safety. Problems were identified and left.
“All this time the staff and guests have been exposed to risk.”
Northants Fire's protection sservices found fire safety deficiencies during an inspection on May 21, 2024 during a a regular programme of visits to Northamptonshire premises.
A follow-up inspection by fire services was carried out on September 10, which found no evidence of fire checks being carried out and no evidence of a fire alarm service since 2021, so the fire service prosecuted the business.
The hotel was found to be in breach of Articles 8, 22 and 38 of the Regulatory Reform Act, which note that the responsible person must take general fire precautions to ensure the safety of employees, to identify if there are others who have a duty of care with regards to fire safety, and that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices are subject to a ‘suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.’
It was also found guilty of failing to comply with the terms of an enforcement notice.
The Hind Hotel, which has provision for up to 70 guests and around 30 staff members, was handed an enforcement notice on May 29, 2024, and it was later found that there was no evidence of fire alarms being serviced since the notice and that they were ‘not set or functioning properly’, and that paperwork was ‘limited.’
Marcus Holden claims that the issues raised under the enforcement notice were addressed by November 2024, two months after the four-month enforcement notice period.
Holden also says that at the expiry of the notice period ‘only one’ substantive matter from the notice remained outstanding, which he says was in the process of being remedied.
The court heard there was ‘some awareness, but not enough action taken.’
Himself alone representing Hind Wellingborough Limited, Marcus Holden said: “There were periods of time between 2021 and 2024 where we would go months without a problem.
"I wouldn’t say the company were burying our head in the sand. We were not ignorant to the situation.
"We were led to believe the escape routes were safe.
“I’m trying to say things are not as easy as they should be when dealing with a 400-year-old building.”
For the first charge the hotel was fined £35,000 and the second a fine for £40,000 was given, plus a maximum victim surcharge of £2,000. Including costs, the fine rises to £81,200 in total.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said the Hind Hotel was given ‘every opporunity’ to fix the alarm system, but no action was taken.
Scott Richards, Head of Protection at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We work very hard with businesses across the county to make sure that their premises meet the highest standards, so they can ensure the safety of both their customers and staff. We will proactively work with and help venues to make sure they get to that point.
“On this occasion, we gave the premises every opportunity to rectify their fire safety alarm system, but they did not take any action to address these issues when we served them with an enforcement notice.
“We never take the decision to prosecute a business lightly. But we hope that the sentencing of this premises serves as a reminder that should they choose to put their customers at risk, then we will take clear and decisive action to hold them to account for failing to keep people safe.”
The Hind Hotel remains open as usual.