ELDERLY and vulnerable residents were put at risk at a Runcorn care home because a company ignored fire safety regulations, a court has heard.

The owners of Croftwood Care Home, in Whitchurch Way, admitted failing to take general fire precautions, provide fire alarms and evacuation equipment or train staff on how to get people safely out of the building.

One resident was bed ridden and there were 22 with mobility problems who relied on wheelchairs or walking frames to move.

No special chairs were available to carry infirm residents to safety and there was no evacuation procedure put in place.

Up to 44 residents lived at the home.

Surrey-based nursing home company Minster Care was fined £40,000 and told to pay £15,000 in costs at Warrington Crown Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to four serious fire safety breaches.

An independent fire risk assessor was given a four-month jail sentence suspended for a year and ordered to pay £1,000 costs.

Graham Foote, 70, a former firefighter, from Yorkshire, had been appointed by Minster Care to provide a fire risk assessment for the home.

He admitted failing to give adequate advice and information.

Judge Tina Landale said: “The risk assessment was woefully inadequate.

“It is described by the prosecution as insufficient.

“It is a general template with little relevance to a care home.

“There is no reference to staff training, evacuation strategy, safety strategy or compartmentation.”

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service first discovered the failings in fire safety in September 2011.

When inspectors returned and found the home had failed to take action, an enforcement notice was served on the property in March 2014.

Holes found in ceilings could have allowed fire to spread into the loft space, where there were no smoke detectors.

Judge Landale accepted that the company had now taken steps to help deal with issues, but said that this was not enough.

“This is a serious charge because there are 22 residents who use wheelchairs or frames, with one confined to bed,” she said.

“The company paid very little attention to the notice in 2011, other than to appoint Mr Foote.

“This was an experienced company with 12 other homes.

“It is obvious that should a fire have occurred a highly ambitious plan would have been needed to evacuate these residents.

“Graham Foote’s assessment almost entirely misses the point and the inadequacies are patently obvious.”

Simon Gibbins, head of protection at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We aim to help and support any business to operate safely.

“However we will take action when companies choose not to treat fire safety as a legitimate business requirement.

“We urge all companies to take their fire safety obligations seriously to avoid prosecution.

“It is important that anyone employing a fire risk assessor must understand that the fire risk assessment is not just a document but the beginning of a process that must involve the co-operation and understanding of both parties.”

The home complied fully to with the enforcement notice in 2014.

A new risk assessor was appointed and all steps were put in place to ensure the safety of the care home’s residents.