Hotel owner fined for rotten balcony

Mr Jones admitted failing to maintain two balconies

A Cornwall hotelier has been ordered to pay £6,200 in fines and costs after a guest fell through a wooden balcony.

John Coburn-Jones from the Hotel California in Newquay admitted two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act at Bodmin Magistrates' Court.

The accident happened in March 2002, when a couple fell through the wooden floor of their balcony at the hotel in Pentire Avenue.

Subsequent inspections found the main supporting timbers had become rotten, the court heard.

Clearly wooden structures are sensitive to water penetration Darren Hambly, Restormel Borough Council

The balcony collapsed, leaving a woman clinging to the railings, while a man plunged down 2.9 metres (9.5 feet).

The woman managed to climb back into the hotel and raise the alarm.

Both guests were injured. The man sustained cracked ribs, cuts and, as a result, lost his job as a diving instructor.

Mr Jones admitted failing to maintain the balcony the guests were on and one outside another room. He was fined £3,500 and ordered to pay £2,700 in costs.

Restormel Borough Council brought the case. Its senior Health and Safety inspector, Darren Hambly, said anyone owning wooden structures should check them for deterioration on a regular basis and make necessary repairs.

He said: "Clearly wooden structures are sensitive to water penetration and those responsible must ensure they have suitable and sufficient maintenance regimes in place."