A landlord has been warned she faces a possible jail sentence after she admitted fire safety breaches which put the lives of her tenants at risk.

Kay Godtschalk owned and managed two properties in Paignton which were divided into flats but which did not comply with fire safety rules, reports Devon Live.

She had commissioned a risk assessment and sought a quote for the work needed to make the flats safe but not carried out the work.

She admitted to offences including failing to take fire precautions, failing to implement preventative measures, failing to provide appropriate alarms and failing to secure evacuation routes.

Judge Graham Cottle adjourned sentence for a month and ordered a probation pre-sentence report. He released Ms Godtschalk on bail.

He told Ms Godtschalk: "There is a serious risk of an immediate sentence of imprisonment. It is right there should be as much information as possible for the sentencing judge."

Mr David Sapiecha, prosecuting for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said the cases arise from inspections carried out in March last year.

He said: "This is a case where the defendant owns and runs two tenanted properties where the fire service attended and found serious breaches of fire regulations.

“They also found that the defendant commissioned a fire safety assessment in 2015 which picked up many of the issues. She had received a single quote from a company to put things right but did not take the company up of that.

“We say this is a case where there may be higher culpability and a suggestion of putting profit before safety.”

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