A landlord who allowed up to 40 people to live in ‘appalling’ conditions at a disused pub has been fined more than £15,000 for multiple offences, including not having an HMO licence and breaching 11 HMO management regulations.

Hayden Rogers, who did not turn up for the trial, illegally rented out the Old Quay House pub in Flintshire, where 40 people lived in dangerous and squalid conditions, which included multiple electrical faults within the property, overloaded sockets, missing smoke and heat detectors and poor heating. Fire escapes were also deemed inadequate and extinguishers were out of date.


Police and council officials entered the premises last year and informed residents that the building would be closed under an emergency prohibition order. The tenants were told that they would have to leave immediately because of the inspectors’ serious concerns.

The Flintshire Council-led operation included North Wales Police, the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, the British Red Cross and various government departments.

Magistrates said that despite a number of improvements that had been made since an initial inspection, the conditions found by environmental health officers were ‘appalling’.

Original sources

Daily Post

The Leader

Daily Mirror