The former owner of a Bayswater hotel has been hit with London’s biggest ever fine for an individual for violating fire safety rules. London Fire Brigade said guests’ lives were put in jeopardy due to the shoddy conditions which were discovered inside The Radnor Hotel during an inspection in 2011. It brought charges against then-owner Salim Patel, who was fined £200,000 this week after a successful prosecution. London Fire Brigade said fire doors were missing (right) or tied open with electrical cords or string (left) In addition to the six-figure fine, Mr Patel was ordered to pay nearly £30,000 in court costs after pleading guilty to seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. He was also handed a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, the London Fire Brigade said. Fire safety officers were stunned when they toured the six-floor, 18-room hotel, on Inverness Terrace, to carry out a routine inspection. They discovered numerous fire safety breaches, including inadequate fire detection systems, blocked emergency exits and inadequate emergency lighting. Fire doors were missing or tied open with extension cords or string, there was evidence the basement store room was used for sleeping, and the owner had not conducted a fire risk assessment. A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said  the hotel, on Inverness Terrace, is under new ownership . Mr Patel was given an enforcement notice, which required him to address the safety concerns to make the hotel safer for guests, but follow-up visits found that no action had been taken, the London Fire Brigade said. The hotel continued to operate without a working fire detection system, so court proceedings were launched against the hotelier. When Mr Patel was sentenced Judge Kennedy said the public expected ‘absolute attention’ to fire safety when occupying sleeping accommodation. The judge told court that Mr Patel did not provide that protection and, as a business owner, he was where the ‘buck stopped’, the London Fire Brigade said in a statement. Hotel owner Salim Patel received a record £200,000 fine this week after a successful prosecution . Neil Orbell, head of fire safety regulation, said he hopes the penalty serves as a deterrent for other hoteliers. He said: ‘Our fire safety officers carry out around 16,000 inspections every year to help ensure the capital's buildings are safe from fire. ‘This is the biggest fine we have ever secured against an individual for breaking fire safety laws and it should send a message to all business owners that if they are shirking their fire safety responsibilities and putting the public at risk we won’t hesitate to prosecute. ‘The size of the fine should also serve as a stark reminder that the court’s take fire safety just as seriously as we do.’ A spokesman for the London Fire Brigade said Mr Patel no longer runs the hotel and it is under new ownership. Guests complained about the conditions in a series of scathing reviews on TripAdvisor, where The Radnor Hotel had a rating of two stars before it closed. Of 92 reviews, 59 were filed under ‘terrible’. Helen, from Australia, wrote in August 2012: ‘We were a little alarmed at the fire emergency plan which was printed straight off the internet and put up without being filled in. We drew comfort from the fact the place has not burned down yet.’
Salim Patel received a fine this week after a successful prosecution . He was also handed a four-month sentence, suspended for 18 months . Fire safety violations were discovered during a routine inspection . Court proceedings began after Mr Patel ignored an enforcement notice . Hotel is under new ownership, said London Fire Brigade spokesman .