Royal Albion passed fire inspection with flying colours months before blaze which destroyed it
It has been found that a hotel that was inspected just months before it was destroyed in a fire had an excellent rating for fire safety
management.
Last summer, a cigarette that was thrown carelessly ignited an old and damaged window frame, causing fire to rip through the Royal
Albion Hotel.
Strong winds that day fuelled the fire, which spread through empty voids, according to an investigation on the cause of the fire.
In response to a freedom of information request, the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has now made public a number of fire safety
inspection records from the ten years before to the incident.
They imply that employees were careful in their fire safety responsibilities at the time of the fire, but previous reports suggest that
Britannia Hotels, the hotel’s owner, was not always quick to respond to requests for assistance and upkeep.
“It was clear both before and during the inspection that the hotel’s operations manager and the maintenance manager had a
professional and proactive attitude towards their fire safety responsibilities,” stated the most recent report, which was released in
September 2022.
“The premises have an efficient emergency plan and policy in place, and proof of this has been presented.”
Additionally, it stated that emergency lighting was installed, escape exits were clear of obstructions, fire action signs were displayed
throughout the facility, and staff members were undergoing routine fire safety training.
It did, however, discover that electrical riser cupboards lacked fire-stopping, which it recommended fixing.
Following a request by fire safety advocate Alan Cox, the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service released the report, one of several that
were released.
The grade II* listed hotel was previously warned that it might violate fire safety regulations, according to documents from prior years.
While responding to “an incident” in 2015, a fire inspector saw disabled fire alarms, wedged fire doors, blocked escape routes, and
faulty fire door self-closers.
It added: “Agreement was sought that any areas with inadequate illumination would not be occupied until adequate illumination was
in place”.
Another case note from the previous year had also mentioned issues with head office, saying: “There is evidence that the premises is
well managed but the same issues every year are re-occurring.
“It seems like they have problem getting copies of all certificate from head office for the testing and maintenance of the systems.”
However, a note of a visit made in 2016 said most of the issues identified in 2015 had now been addressed, such as self-closing doors
being fitted, gaps between doors filled, additional smoke detectors fitted and more staff training carried out.
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