A TOWN centre hotel has been ordered to clean up its act after fire authority inspectors found it was putting lives at risk by barricading fire escapes.

The Pack Horse Hotel, in Nelson Square, was called before a licensing sub-committee at Bolton Town Hall yesterday.

The fire authority requested the review because the hotel and its owner, Dr Subhash Jajoo, failed to ensure the public’s safety. It was the first time the authority had requested such a review in Bolton.

Watch commander Simon Parkinson-Jones, who carried out the inspection of the 60 bedroom hotel, told the hearing: “The application for review was carried out to inform elected members of our concerns about management of that hotel and corresponding danger to members of the public who may use the building.”Inspectors visited the hotel on December 14 and 15 last year and found a number of problems which risked people’s safety, had there been a fire, the hearing was told.

A roller shutter had been fitted on the outside of one of the fire escape doors so people would not have been able to use it to flee a fire.

Another fire exit door had been poorly maintained, so it was difficult to open, also hampering people’s escape had there been a fire.

Automatic self-closing doors, which are designed to contain fire or smoke in an area, did not work when a fire alarm was tested.

A light on an escape route from the first floor was also not working — making the route hazardous.

And members of staff had left a rolled-up carpet in one of the escape corridors.

But Hamish Lawson, representing Dr Jajoo, said: “Dr Jajoo responded quickly and in an appropriate manner and did everything he could to co-operate with the fire authority.”

He said Dr Jajoo had arrived within an hour of the inspectors visiting the hotel and all problems were rectified in a matter of days.

Cllr David Greenhalgh, chair of the sub-committee, said members had agreed to issue an “informal warning”.

He added: “It has been decided in light of events on December 14 and 15 which endangered public safety and breached licensing objectives.”

The committee made an additional condition of the licence that the owner and senior managers must undergo fire marshall training and attend refresher courses annually.

lucy.ewing@theboltonnews.co.uk