A FIRE safety team closed down a Derby club immediately after discovering a series of breaches.

A joint fire, police and council team swooped on The Polish Inn, in Normanton Road, and found exit routes blocked, an emergency door locked and no fire alarms.

As previously reported in the Derby Telegraph, Twana Ali Fatah, the licence holder, was this month handed a three-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to the breaches.

He was also told to pay £10,000 by a judge at Nottingham Crown Court.

Now fire officers have revealed that it was intelligence gathered from a multi-agency team, called the Ram Group, that led to the closure, in February last year.

At the time of the assessment The Polish Inn, a former restaurant, was open to the public.

The club has remained shut since and Mr Fatah is no longer the manager.

Dave Bowen, of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The Ram Group came about around 18 months ago after the authorities took on board the work being done by a similar team in Erewash.

"Investigators had visited the Polish Inn and brought their concerns to the team.

"Together, council, police and fire officials went to the premises and found several breaches of fire regulations.

"It is our responsibility to keep people safe and it was clear they wouldn't have been at The Polish Inn should a fire have broken out.

"Having no proper alarm system is bad enough but there were a number of trip hazards and a fire door – which should have been unlocked – was locked.

"Had something gone wrong people would have been trapped inside."

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service is using the case to remind all owners and occupiers of buildings of their legal responsibility to protect staff and customers against the risk of fire.

Sean Wells, group manager, said: "We are here to advise businesses and are always willing to help make sure they comply with fire safety legislation.

"However, the public should continue to be reassured that we take any breaches of fire safety very seriously and will use legal sanctions where necessary.

"In this case it is disappointing that Mr Fatah chose to place people at risk."