An Ipswich property management company and its director have been sentenced for breaching fire safety regulations at an apartment block with dangerous cladding.
Home from Home Property Management Ltd and director Edward Ottley were found guilty of eight offences relating to fire safety breaches at flats on Wolsey Street in Ipswich.
At Ipswich Crown Court, the company was fined £60,000 while Ottley, 62, received a 10-month suspended prison sentence and 120 hours of unpaid work. They must also pay £49,500 in costs to Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
The court heard that in 2017, it was discovered the building had aluminium composite cladding similar to that involved in the Grenfell Tower fire.
However, Home from Home provided inaccurate information about the cladding's risk level to a fire risk assessor.
When SFRS officers inspected in 2019, they found multiple safety issues remained unaddressed, including:
An outdated fire risk assessment that didn't account for the cladding risk
Problems with escape routes and fire alarms
Residents not properly informed about evacuation procedures
Councillor Steve Wiles of Suffolk County Council said, "The safety and wellbeing of the public is paramount, and when the actions of companies such as Home from Home undermine that it is only right that they are held to account."
SFRS said the case should send a "clear message" about the importance of fire safety compliance.
The company has appointed a new assessor and is working to remove the cladding.
Home from Home Property Management was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.
