| London Fire Brigade stressed the importance of fire safety measures in pubs |
London Fire Brigade has warned that pub owners won’t be cashing in during the world cup, if they have a fire on their premises.
With thousands of people watching the world cup in pubs this summer the London Fire Brigade is urging bar owners and managers to make sure their premises are safe from fire. According to the British Beer and Pub Association the UK pub industry could be boosted by £124m during the world cup. But London Fire Brigade warned that pub owners won’t be cashing in if they have a fire on their premises, or are found to be in breach of fire safety laws. Nationally, 39 pubs are going out of business every week due to dwindling revenues, and fire can also be a major cause for a business to fail. Research from Touche Ross and London Chamber of Commerce estimates that up to 80 per cent of businesses fail within a year of suffering a major catastrophe, such as a fire.
London Fire Brigade’s Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety Regulation, Steve Turek, said: “Fire law is there for a reason – to protect people – and if we find that bar and club owners are not taking their responsibilities seriously we can take action, including prosecution.” “We want people to enjoy watching the world cup in a safe environment and if publicans understand their legal responsibilities they can reduce the risk to their punters and their pockets.” Following recent high profile fires London Fire Brigade officers in Islington and the City have been working with local licensees to improve fire safety in their pubs, bars and clubs.
The Night Watch initiative, meeting for the first time on Wednesday 2 June, will give licensees more information about fire safety legislation and explain why ensuring their venues comply with the law keeps customers safe and is good business sense.