A national pub chain is having to pay over £33,000 after a toddler fell through a railing into a pub’s basement.
The Slug and Lettuce Company admitted breaching health and safety laws on Wednesday (October 10) after a two-year-old girl fell through a staircase balustrade on October 6, 2012, at one of its pubs of the same name in Hanover Street, Mayfair , and landed in the basement, two metres (or 6.6 ft) below.
She was not seriously injured by the large fall but she was taken to hospital in an ambulance after her parents and an off-duty nurse looked after her.
The incident was caught on the pub’s CCTV and an investigation by Westminster City Council’s health and safety team found there was an excessive gap in the balustrade which did not conform to the UK’s 100mm regulation which has been in place since 1976.
The Slug and Lettuce Company, which owns 70 bars across the country, was fined £8,000 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was told to pay Westminster Council costs of £25,000 and a victim surcharge of £400, which amounts to £33,400.
Councillor Nickie Aiken, Westminster Council’s public protection boss, said: “People sometimes scoff at the small print of health and safety regulations but here is an example of what can happen when it’s not observed.
"While this little girl is so lucky not to have been seriously hurt, the accident could have ended very differently. Hard work by Westminster City Council’s health and safety team has ensured this lapse came to light. Now, other businesses should learn the lesson.”
The Slug and Lettuce’s website says: “We love to serve great quality food, fabulous cocktails and delicious wines, world lagers and beers in a comfy, safe, welcoming environment.”
