A private landlord from Woking has been fined £4,500 and ordered to pay an additional £3,732 in costs after breaching health and safety rules.

This is the fourth such prosecution of its kind in Woking Borough in the last six months.

Mr Alan Fowler was charged with failing to carry out vital work that would ensure the safety of his tenants, including the installation of smoke alarms to protect tenants in case of fire.

An initial inspection of the property was undertaken on 23 December 2015 at which point it was found in an appalling state of disrepair.

This was followed by a second inspection, undertaken on 29 December 2015, where Mr Fowler was ordered to commence a series of improvement works over a six month period.

However, Mr Fowler failed to carry out any of the works required by the notices and therefore the Council was left with no other option but to prosecute.

Speaking about the decision Cllr Colin Kemp, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing Services said: “We gave Mr Fowler ample opportunity to rectify the multiple issues with his property, all of which were ignored.

“We were therefore in no doubt that prosecution was the only suitable approach. The proactive court enforcement action will act as a deterrent to others considering neglect of their property and of their duty to provide a secure and habitable place of residence for their tenants.”

Original source

Woking Borough Council