The hotel pleaded guilty to six breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order at Redhill Magistrates Court on 30 March.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service investigated the 22-bed hotel in Epsom after a tip-off from a guest staying there. Officers found a defective fire alarm system, fire doors with self-closing devices that had been disabled, and a bolted final exit. There was also no fire risk assessment, inadequate information and training for employees, and no record of a fire drill having been carried out.

A Fire Safety Officer who investigated the property said:

"The fire alarm at the Chalk Lane Hotel had been defective for a considerable length of time and what astonished us most was this followed the very serious and high profile Penhallow Hotel fire in Newquay a few months earlier. Chalk Lane Hotel failed to learn from this and address their own fire safety issues.

Had they had a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment in place and system for regularly reviewing it, they could have resolved the problem earlier or put some temporary measures in place to avoid this penalty."