If two identical buildings catch fire, one filled with paper, and one filled with sand, it is a reasonable assumption to make that that the building filled with sand will burn slower and is therefore in a lower category of fire risk assessment. This type of analysis, taking into account the individual circumstances of a building – its contents, for example – is used to help identify risks as part of standard BS 9999.

Six tenants paying more than £20,000 a year in rent faced “catastrophic” risk in an HMO without essential fire protection or gas and electrical safety certificates.

Obstructed fire exits, defective emergency lighting and the absence of a working fire alarm, were amongst the faults found during the inspection of the Chichester, West Sussex branch of the Wildwood restaurant chain.