logo
Cheshire fire service spent £150k pursuing prosecutions

Cheshire fire service spent £150k pursuing prosecutions

BBC News29-05-2025
Cheshire Fire and Rescue service spent more than £150,000 pursing prosecutions against companies after a fire at a retirement complex, before a trial collapsed earlier this month. A BBC Freedom of Information request revealed the service spent a total of £151,778 up to the date of the start of the trial.Beechmere retirement village, which was home to around 150 residents, was destroyed by a fire in August 2019.The service said: "We have a statutory duty to enforce the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and hold a specific budget reserve to fund prosecutions such as this."
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service initially pursued six firms, but action against two of them was subsequently dropped.The trial against the remaining four began earlier this month, but the fire service said it had "regrettably" decided to withdraw its prosecutions.At the time, chief fire officer Alex Waller said: "Following extensive legal submissions heard over the first two days of the trial, unfortunately it became clear this morning that there would be no realistic prospect of securing convictions."Around 150 people, many who were elderly or vulnerable, were left homeless by the fire and lost their possessions. Nobody was injured.
Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Reigate Priory Junior School to move to Surrey council land
Reigate Priory Junior School to move to Surrey council land

BBC News

time27 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Reigate Priory Junior School to move to Surrey council land

Plans to move a Surrey school have been approved despite the road safety concerns of parents and Priory Junior School will move to a new site within Surrey County Council's headquarters in Woodhatch Place, following a decision by the authority's planning committee on have warned the new location, which will serve 600 pupils, poses risks to children walking or scootering along a busy A-road, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Oliver Moses said the current site – a Grade I-listed Victorian building – was "unfit for purpose" and "not acceptable". Mr Moses said: "We are compromising children's education and wellbeing every single day we remain in it."Rising energy costs, endless maintenance and operation costs are pulling us away from our key mission - caring for children."A new site will let us direct those funds to where they belong, into the classroom."Parent Chris Morris said families were "extremely disappointed" by the decision and wanted to "keep an outstanding school where it is".He said parents were exploring options to challenge the decision, including looking at a judicial principal highways officer said the plans needed a significant number of highway improvements and admitted it would be an "unusually car dependent school site".Councillor Ernest Mallett MBE rebutted concerns, saying "we are in the age of the car" and telling the committee: "Wherever the school is were going to have traffic problems."Councillor Jonathan Hulley, cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning, said the decision "was not an easy one".He added: "It's an absolutely fantastic school but the building is a monument - its antiquated and beautiful, but old."Councillor Hulley added that the council would operate a shuttle bus service from the new site to the town centre, should the changes be made.

Builder mauled by XL Bully who ‘ripped flesh from his bones' after escaping while owner offered him cup of tea
Builder mauled by XL Bully who ‘ripped flesh from his bones' after escaping while owner offered him cup of tea

The Sun

time27 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Builder mauled by XL Bully who ‘ripped flesh from his bones' after escaping while owner offered him cup of tea

A BUILDER was left seriously injured after being mauled by an XL Bully during a tea break. The dog, called Ozzy, repeatedly bit into the man's leg, leaving his flesh ripped away from the bone. 3 3 It occurred while the builder was working on a home extension in Norwich on January 21. While the owner had reportedly agreed to keep the dog inside, it escaped when the builder was asked if he wanted a drink. The savage attack left the man needing surgery, as he is unsure if his lower leg will regain feeling. In addition to the physical damage, the self-employed builder has also suffered financial damage as he has been left unable to work. It comes after legislation in February 2024 made it illegal to own an XL Bully without an exemption certificate. An insurance policy had also been taken out on Ozzy, with a £12,000 payout. While Ozzy had been registered exempt, the attack could mean the dog is subject to a destruction order. Daniel Savino, 46, who had been looking after his partner's dog on the day of the attack, pleaded guilty to being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control when it caused injury. He will be sentenced on September 25 and could face time in prison. Savino's defence solicitor said the dog had been bought four years ago, and that the attack was "out of character". He said it was an "unfortunate slip" that it had escaped through three door gates. 3

One in 10 over-16s are victims of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault, new data shows
One in 10 over-16s are victims of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault, new data shows

The Independent

time29 minutes ago

  • The Independent

One in 10 over-16s are victims of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault, new data shows

New figures have revealed around one in 10 people aged 16 and over in England and Wales were victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking in the year to March. The data, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Thursday, is the first time an estimate has been made of the combined prevalence of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking. It found that some 10.6 per cent of all people aged 16 and over are likely to have experienced one or more of these crime types in the year to March 2025. The figure is closer to one in eight for women, while for men it is slightly lower at about one in 12. The estimates mean 5.1 million people aged 16 and over in England and Wales have experienced one of the three crime types, of which 3.2 million were women and nearly 2 million were men, the ONS said. In the year before, there was a slightly higher estimate of 5.4 million people or 11.3 per cent who had been victims of such crime types. The survey measures experiences of crime, with domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking referred to as 'crime types' because in some cases a criminal offence may not have occurred. The ONS said that the data was collected as part of the Crime Survey for England and Wales, but the estimates are still in development and are subject to change. The combined measure has been produced to help the government monitor its ambition to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. The Home Office will provide more detail on the use of the new estimate, together with other ways to measure progress against the target, in a new cross-government VAWG strategy to be published later this year. A key pledge by Labour when the party came into government last summer was to halve VAWG in the next decade. A long-awaited strategy to address the issue using a 'cross-government approach with prevention at its heart' is expected this autumn. However, many MPs and campaign groups have expressed concern that not enough progress is being made to tackle the issue. Campaign groups and charities such Refuge have warned that underfunding is threatening the pledge is threatening the pledge, which they say has been 'neglected' in budget announcements. Earlier this month Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, said: 'Refuge welcomed the Government's commitment to halve VAWG within a decade, but without effective, strategic and transparent investment, this pledge amounts to little more than lip service to women's safety. 'Time and again, VAWG has been neglected in budget announcements – with dire consequences for the vital frontline services that support survivors. Without meaningful investment in both prevention and survivor support, the Government's ambition to halve VAWG within 10 years is simply unachievable.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store