A TAKEAWAY owner has been slapped with a hefty fine because his restaurant breached safety regulations.

There was no fire alarm system and fire chiefs said the list of failings was “incredibly troubling”.

Lian Jian Shong, owner of Golden House in Surrey Street, Littlehampton, appeared at Worthing Magistrates Court for the hearing against him on October 11. He pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching the Regulatory Reform Order 2005.

Other breaches included inadequate means of escape from first floor, dangerous electrics, inadequate general fire precautions, and no fire risk assessment in place.

He was sentenced to a fine of £414, £138 per offence, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £917 costs along with a £30 victim surcharge.

Adrian Murphy of West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: “This demonstrates the owner’s disregard not only for the safety of their employees, but also those living above the premises.”

He continued: ““Had a fire broken out, those in the premises would have had no prior warning from a smoke alarm, and their chances of making it out would have been greatly hindered by the lack of a proper escape route.

“As a licensed premises, the defendant should – by law – have had a written fire risk assessment with significant findings recorded, but this was not the case.

“As the fire authority, we take our responsibility for public protection incredibly seriously, and will not hesitate to prosecute when we find serious breaches of fire safety regulations, as evidenced here.”