A restaurant and bar has been slapped with a mega fine after failing to implement correct fire safety measures to protect staff and customers.

The Swan Brasserie Limited, which owns The Swan in West Malling, was fined £30,000 and told to pay an additional £16,405 in costs after a visit more than three years ago from the fire service’s safety inspectors found problems in the garden.

During the visit back in December 2021, inspectors found several issues at the Swan Street venue which could have resulted in serious injury or death in the result of a blaze.

The company was summoned to court on July 10 last year. Two weeks later, it was hit with the large fine and additional costs. Details have only just been published by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS).

Offences included the absence of a fire detection and warning system, failure to conduct a sufficient fire risk assessment, and inadequate emergency lighting and exit routes.

Suzanna Amberski, KFRS’s area manager for customer and building safety, said: “We hope the sentence will serve as a reminder to other businesses across Kent and Medway to consistently adhere to fire safety regulations to avoid prosecution and, most importantly, to keep everyone safe.

“If you oversee a business, you are legally obligated to ensure the safety of everyone who works or visits the premises. This responsibility applies to all without exception.

“We are always ready to provide support and advice to any business in need. However, if you fail to comply with fire safety regulations and endanger lives, we will take legal action when necessary.”

The fire service explained the business failed to take safety precautions in the rear garden, including power cables and combustible items being found in the escape area which could have caused the spread of a fire.

The company also failed to carry out a suitable risk assessment, failed to ensure the premises was equipped with appropriate fire detection equipment and alarms, and failed to ensure emergency routes and exits were equipped with emergency lighting.

Detailing the offences, the fire service added the business “failed to ensure that, in the event of fire, it would be possible to evacuate the premises as quickly and safely as possible”.

It said the escape route from the first floor of the rear garden building was complex, via a single staircase and required navigation through several rooms to reach the marquee, before adding: “If there had been a fire in any number of points on the route, it would have made that single means of escape untenable.”

The Swan has been approached for comment.