NEARLY half of public buildings and flats audited by fire services in Dorset and Wiltshire fail to meet fire safety standards, figures reveal.

All non-domestic properties and communal areas receive fire safety audits at some point, to make sure they follow fire safety laws, with a rating of "unsatisfactory" indicating changes are needed.

Dorset and Wiltshire firefighters carried out 1,198 audits in 2018-19, the latest Home Office statistics show. Buildings tested include care homes, hospitals and high-rises, as well as schools and shops.

Of these, 46 per cent were deemed unsatisfactory – 557 buildings in total.

Checking unsatisfactory buildings took up 15 weeks of fire crews' time, according to the data, with tasks ranging from contacting property owners and managers to carrying out on-site visits and enforcement action.

Premises falling short on safety standards are subject to follow-up action from the fire service or courts, taking into account the threat posed to the public and whether those responsible agree to make changes.

Inspectors issued 116 written warnings in 2018-19, and 12 formal notices comprising:

  • Two enforcement notices stating what improvements are needed and when
  • Nine prohibition notices banning or restricting use of the premises until problems are sorted
  • One order to tell firefighters of changes that may raise the fire risk in the building.

Following audits, six premises were brought back into "satisfactory" standards.

Not all premises in the area would have been inspected over the period.

Fire services choose how many audits they carry out based on their own inspection strategy – meaning crews may elect to target higher-risk properties.

Across England, crews carried out 49,300 audits in 2018-19 – three per cent of all eligible premises.

A third of audits were unsatisfactory, a similar share to the previous year, though the number of audits carried out was down by 42 per cent since 2010-11.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "Fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work and overall will receive around £2.3 billion in 2019-20.

"Fire and rescue authorities must have in place a risk-based inspection programme to ensure buildings comply with fire safety standards.

"It is for individual fire and rescue authorities to decide what inspections are necessary, based on their assessment of local risk."