A shop located in a prime spot on Hereford’s High Street has been banned once more from allowing anyone to sleep within its building due to ongoing fire safety issues.
Sohail Akhtar, owner of Fone Zone adjacent to High Town, was first served a prohibition notice last August by fire safety officials. The notice forbade “sleeping or resting in the basement, on the ground, first or second floors” of the three-storey building, which is situated next to the city’s Marks & Spencer.
On March 5, a similar prohibition notice was issued to iSmart Retail, where Mr Akhtar is listed as the sole director, reiterating the same restrictions.
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The notice cited several hazards: “There is insufficient means of detecting a fire and giving warning to those sleeping or resting on upper or lower floors. The means of escape from the upper floors is not suitably fire resisting.”
Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the prohibition remains actively in place.
When approached about the ban, Mr Akhtar revealed he was currently abroad but plans to address the matter with fire safety officers upon his return later this month.
Earlier, in January 2023, permission was granted to convert the building’s previously unused upper floors into two compact one-bedroom flats with access via East Street at the rear, but concerns about fire safety continue to prevent occupancy for resting or sleeping.