Barman 'kicked locked fire door'

More than 100 firefighters fought the blaze at the Penhallow Hotel

A barman from a Cornish hotel destroyed by a fire said he had to kick the lock off a fire door as he tried to help guests escape.

Two women and a man, all from Staffordshire, died in the blaze at Newquay's Penhallow Hotel in 2007.

At an inquest in Truro, Michael Billington, who had worked at the hotel for nearly a year, said he left his room after the fire alarm sounded.

He said while trying to alert guests he saw all fire doors had small padlocks.

Mr Billington said he was in his room, getting changed, when the fire alarm went off just after midnight on 18 August 2007.

He said he came running out and was faced with thick smoke which smelled horrible.

He ran downstairs and saw that the lights had gone off on the ground floor.

He also banged on doors in an attempt to get guests out, he told the inquest at Truro Crown Court.

He said: "I was banging on any doors I could."

Describing when he had to force open a fire door, he said: "A fire door had a lock on it, and I had to kick it off.

He added that all of the fire doors he encountered "had little padlocks on them".

Murder investigation

He got outside and called 999, but the fire service was already on the way, alerted by another member of staff.

More than 100 firefighters fought the blaze.

Joan Harper, 80, Peter Hughes, 43, and his mother Monica Hughes, 86, died in the fire.

About 90 people managed to escape from the 54-bedroom hotel.

A murder investigation was begun and four people were arrested. All were later released.

The inquest continues.