CARE home owners have been left with a legal bill of £22,000 for “putting vulnerable residents in danger” by failing to take proper fire safety precautions.

Orchard Care, owners of Cavell House in Shoreham, were sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on Friday after admitting fire safety breaches at an earlier hearing.

The 46-resident home had a minor kitchen fire in April 2014 after which the chef reported to managers that fire systems, including an audible alarm and the automatic shutting of fire doors, had not activated.

Repair work to the fire alarm system, which should have been carried out immediately, did not take place.

Fire officers carried out a routine inspection at the home three months later and ordered for urgent interim measures to be put in place that day before officers left.