Leeds students put at risk of 'catastrophe' due to locked fire escape and faulty alarms at luxury halls of residence

Trinity Hall was shut down after a concerned father of a student contacted fire chiefs over the state of the building.

Three Leeds-based companies were today fined a total of £620,000 after pleading guilty to failure to comply with fire regulation orders.

Trinity Hall, on Holborn Approach, Woodhouse. is marketed as a 96-bedroom "luxury student development" built over four floors in a gated community.

A judge told Leeds-based firms - APP Construction Ltd,Trinity Development Leeds Ltd and Niche Homes Ltd - that their actions had the potential for catastrophe.

Leeds Crown Court was told how a worried parent contacted West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service on September 25, 2016, over his concerns about the safety of the building.

He was so concerned that he refused to let his daughter stay overnight in the premises.

Fire inspectors arrived to find the building still under construction despite 27 students already having moved onto the ground floor.

Cassie Williams, prosecuting, said the staircase to one of two main fire escapes was locked.

There was no signage to indicate where the fire escapes were.

Self-closing devices were missing from doors, meaning fire could have spread more quickly through the building.

The upper floors of the building were still under construction and timber was exposed.

Parts of the staircase were covered in bubble wrap and the floors were separated only by plywood.

Miss Williams said the lack of safety measures on the upper floors could have resulted in the early collapse of the building in the event of fire.

The fire alarms were not connected properly and could only be operated manually.

The alarms gave off "limited noise", making it likely that they would not have been heard in the event of fire.

Flammable material was also being stored in rooms on the ground floor which would have fuelled any fire.

The boiler room also lacked appropriate fire protection.

Miss Williams said: "Residents were put at risk of death or serious injury."

The court heard APP Construction Ltd was responsible for the design of the building and Niche Homes Ltd were responsible for contracting properties to students.

Trinity Development Leeds Ltd were the freehold owners of the building.

The defendants each pleaded guilty to four breaches of fire safety orders.

Jennifer Dempster, QC, for Trinity Development Leeds Ltd, said the company had "deep regret" for what had happened.

She said: "Nothing even approaching this level of seriousness will ever happen again."

Phillip Morris, for Niche Homes Ltd, said guilty pleas had been entered at an early stage.

He told the court the company had an average annual turnover of £318m.

He said: "Niche is a comparative minnow in terms of not only financial worth but also its role in this incident."

Joseph Hart, for APP Construction Ltd, said: "Both managing directors sit in the public gallery and are deeply and profoundly upset to be here.

"They are a wholly responsible company.

"They are a local company and a local employer. They have learned their lesson. They are sorry and this prosecution has had an enormous affect on them already."

APP Construction Ltd was fined £400,000.

Trinity Development Leeds Ltd was ordered to pay £160,000.

Niche Homes Ltd was fined £60,000.

The court heard fire safety systems were quickly put in place after the incident and the building was made safe.

Judge Robin Mairs said the dangers the students had been exposed to were "obvious to ordinary members of the public."

He said: "I have no doubt that the fact that other students having taken leases for the start of term meant that there was financial pressure on all sides to move the students in as quickly as possible."

Describing the unsafe condition of the building, he said: "It is not difficult to imagine that, had an evacuation been necessary, the potential for confusion and catastrophe that would have caused."