FIREFIGHTERS who rescued four people from a hostel found the alarm stuffed with cardboard, a court was told.

Burnley Crown Court heard how glass in another alarm at Pendle Lodge, Albert Road, Colne, had been smashed and repairs attempted with tape, and a fire door did not fit into its frame, allowing smoke to pass through.

The hotel's owner, Mohammed Tufail, 42, was fined £1,000, after the court heard many of the fire breaches were not his fault -- but were down to his residents.

Father-of-five, Tufail, of Olive Street, Burnley, must also pay £1,358 costs. He admitted three counts of contravening requirements of his fire certificate, last. He had been committed for sentence by Burnley magistrates.

John Dixon, prosecuting for Lancashire County Council, said of the four bells in the alarm, one was missing and three had pieces of cardboard wedged against them to prevent them sounding. Several fire resistant ceiling tiles were missing, allowing extensive amounts of smoke to seep into escape routes.

Paul Hague, defending, said residents at the guest house for the most part drank and smoked heavily and were not respectful of his property.

They put paper and cardboard into the alarm to stop it disturbing them and if tenants returned home drunk and could not find their keys, they would kick the door open.

On the morning of the fire, there had been a false fire alarm and all three bells had been working. It was noticed the fourth had been knocked off and the handyman had been set to replace it that night.

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