Biggin Hill Pub Injury
Wednesday 16th June
2010
Chef Injured At Kings Arms
Biggin Hill After Landlord Ignored Warning From GMB To Repair
Dangerous Bedroom Ceiling Which Collapsed
Enterprise Inns managers were
left with no illusions that it was their responsibility to repair a
dangerous ceiling that had been outstanding from the original lease
support works at Biggin Hill pub
Last Friday 11th June the
bedroom ceiling, in a dangerous condition, at the Kings Arms,
Biggin Hill in Kent, owned by pubco Enterprise Inns, collapsed and
injured a chef who was laying in bed at the time at the time. As
the ceiling began to collapse Chef Steve Thomas leapt from his
bed in an attempt to avoid the full impact of the collapse and has
sustained damage to the ligaments and soft tissue of his leg. A
second employee was fortunate enough to have left the room just
moments earlier. Had they still been in the room they would have
taken the full impact of the collapse followed by several hundred
years of falling dust and dirt behind it and most certainly would
have been critically injured.
The pub tenant Nicola Rose is a member
of GMB. She had earlier called in Hayley Brennan, GMB Lead
Organizer for pub tenants, to meet on Tuesday 2nd
February with senior managers & surveyors from Enterprise Inns
that own the freehold of the pub to discuss repair and maintenance
work that was outstanding under the terms of the lease between the
landlord and tenant. One such item was a dangerous ceiling which
was in danger of collapse. Enterprise agreed to deal with the
matter but failed to do so.
The Kings Arms is at Leaves Green, Nr
Biggin Hill, Kent and Nicola Rose has been the pub tenant there
for 2 years.
Hayley Brennan GMB lead organizer for
pub tenants said "This puts a complete new take on going to
your local pub to get plastered. Enterprise Inns have
succeeded in doing something the Luftwaffe failed to do which to
bring down the ceiling in this historic pub where the Battle of
Britain pilots relaxed.
In February I attended a
meeting at the Kings Arms with an Enterprise Inns surveyor and the
Regional Manager about outstanding repairs and maintenance of the
premises needed at the pub.
I left these Enterprise
managers under no illusions that it was their responsibility to
repair a dangerous ceiling that had been outstanding from the lease
support works. I warned them that if the ceiling collapsed on
someone, GMB would hold them criminally negligent. They agreed to
get it sorted. Last week it collapsed and fell on the Chef and he
has sustained injuries. GMB will hold them to account.
While the Pubco boardrooms are
awarding themselves massive bonuses, lack of investment in their
estates has led to increasingly dilapidated premises. I am calling
on the Health & Safety Executive to undertake an urgent review
of all tenanted pubs in the UK before someone is killed – starting
with Enterprise Inns."
End
Contact: Hayley
Brennan GMB lead organizer for pub tenants 07850 919 933 or tenant
Nicola Rose mobile: 079681 76130 or GMB Press Office: Rose Conroy
on 07974 258123 or Steve Pryle on 07921 289880.