A firm of architects have been £1,500 after pleading guilty to safety failings.

Mario Minchella Ltd had not given contractors relevant information about the flammability of the timber frame used in the construction of the new building in October 2012.

A routine inspection of the work by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector found that the separation distance between the new timber frame building under construction and an adjacent occupied care home was insufficient.

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As a result, had the timber frame caught fire, there was a serious risk that the radiant heat would cause the fire to spread to the care home, putting the lives of residents and staff inside at risk.

HSE found that there was nothing in the design specification produced by Mario Minchella Ltd to alert construction workers erecting the timber frame to the additional fire risk it created, and the need to take action accordingly.

Mario Minchella Ltd, of Swallow House, Parsons Road, Washington, Tyne and Wear, was also ordered to pay £816 costs.

(CD/JP)