The fire service is cracking down on people who break regulations in flats.

It says owners, tenants and agents associated with flats have legal requirements to meet with the standards.

A spokesman said: ’Following a number complaints and fire safety inspections it is apparent that in some instances fire safety standards within flats have fallen significantly below the legal requirements and appropriate action is now being taken.’

He said the areas which were currently causing the greatest concern were the monthly checks and annual testing of fire alarms and emergency lighting systems, and the storage of combustibles on the means of escape.

’During some of our recent fire safety inspections the number of fire door failures has also been found to be quite high,’ he said.

’The contraventions range from the fire doors not closing properly, missing or incorrect intumescent strips, and of more concern has been the wedging of fire doors and in some cases the self-closers being removed altogether.

’A room can become fully involved in a fire in as little as three or four minutes so doors are a vital part of protecting the occupants.’

While the fire safety department’s main role is education about the regulations, in some cases it pass offences to the service’s legal department for prosecution.

Offences under the regulations can carry a penalty of up to £10,000 per offence and/or two years imprisonment.