Hotel admission on death blaze

The owners of a hotel where three people from Staffordshire died in a blaze have admitted breaching health and safety regulations.

Monica Hughes, aged 86, and her 43-year-old son Peter, from Cheslyn Hay, died along with 80-year-old Joan Harper, from Stoke-on-Trent, when the Penhallow Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, burned to the ground on 17 August 2007.

At Truro Crown Court yesterday O&C Holdsworth Ltd, which owned the hotel, admitted failing to ensure fire detectors and alarms were working at the hotel or making an adequate risk assessment before the blaze, which was Britain's most deadly hotel fire in 40 years.

Two directors of the company, Nicola Burfitt and John McMillan, both denied three charges relating to them personally, with the prosecution saying it was "not in the public interest" to pursue them.

Speaking outside the court, John Hughes, Monica's son and Peter's brother, hoped lessons would be learnt by the tourism industry.

Mr Hughes, who is from Shrewsbury, said: "I am pleased at least to have an admission of guilt from the owners of Penhallow. It has been hell for the last few years.

"To lose two members of your family is beyond most people's imagination. The best thing that could come out of this is that the tourism agencies and hotels sit up and take note.

"There are still premises and hotels around the country that are not complying with fire regulations."

Ninety people managed to escape from the 54-bedroom hotel on the night of the fire, but Monica and Peter Hughes and Mrs Harper were unable to escape flames that at their height were tackled by 100 firefighters.

The fire is believed to have started in a hotel bar drink store and spread to the rest of the building.

Mr Hughes, the head of physics at Weston Road High School in Stafford, lived with his mother in Glenthorne Drive.

He jumped from the third floor of the burning hotel after being heard shouting: "I can't move my mom."

Mrs Hughes, who is thought to have lived in the village for more than 40 years, attended a bingo club at Hawkins Sports & Social Club in Coppice Lane, Cheslyn Hay.

At an inquest into the deaths, the company directors refused to answer questions about the fire safety training staff at the hotel had received.

The inquest also heard that the hotel had been warned its fire safety system was not up to scratch in the months before the fire.

Judge Christopher Elwen adjourned sentencing of the company, based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, until May 4.