A care home company in Boscombe has been fined following fire safety failings linked to a resident’s death.
Portelet Manor Limited was sentenced at Poole Magistrates’ Court on 31 March after pleading guilty to an offence under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 relating to failures to ensure appropriate fire safety arrangements were in place.
The prosecution followed an investigation by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service after a resident at the Portelet Manor care home suffered serious burns while smoking in the home’s designated smoking area on 19 June 2023.
The resident later died in hospital 11 days after the incident and although fire crews were not called at the time, the service became aware of what had happened and began a fire safety investigation.
The company was fined £70,000 and ordered to pay £22,000 in costs as well as a £2,000 victim surcharge.
Fire Safety Prosecution Manager Tom Huntley said public safety remains the service’s highest priority and the case shows the serious consequences of failures in fire safety management.
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