Pub owners fined over toddler's burns

A TODDLER suffered burns after falling into hot ashes while playing in the garden of a Fletching pub, a court heard.

The three-year-old suffered bad burns to his hands and legs after falling into the smouldering pit, at the Griffin Inn, in May last year.

The pub's owners this week pleaded guilty to a breach of health and safety regulations at Lewes Magistrates Court.

Magistrates heard how the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was at the pub with his mother when he stumbled into the one-metre deep pit which was hidden behind a line of trees at the back of the pub garden.

He was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath before being transferred to East Grinstead's Victoria Hospital, which specialises in burns. He was found to have suffered 'mixed depth' burns.

Pub owners Bridget, 65, and Nigel Pullan, 68, of Tyes, Nutley, and Gerald Cochrane, 70, of Farnham, in Surrey, admitted failing to secure safe working practices in ensuring the pit which was used to burn waste was out when the garden was used by customers.

Geoff Johnson, prosecuting, said that although a line of trees separated the pit from tables used by customers, there was no fence between the trees and the trench. 'If the trench had been fenced off, this accident would not have happened,' he said.

However, he accepted that the ashes in the pit would have been burning longer than usual at the time of the incident because the trench was, at that time, being used to burn building waste as well as household waste. He added that the child's injuries were likely to heal without the need for skin grafts.

Richard Barton, defending, said that the owners of the 16th century free house had co-operated fully with the authorities and had been 'fully frank' when questioned. He added that the owners fenced off the site immediately after the incident.

'They have accepted fully from the outset their responsibility in this matter,' he said. 'They are all appropriately contrite and have been suffering over the last 16 months.

'Theirs is a family-run pub which for many years has given pleasure to a countless number of people.'

Chief magistrate Ann Marks said that the defendants' guilty plea and previous good character had been taken into account in deciding their sentence. They were each fined 4,000 and were told to pay costs of 1,872.

The case was brought against the owners by the Environmental Health department of Wealden District Council. Wealden's Cllr Col. Brian Hubbard said: 'It's unfortunate that this accident had to happen before the owners of the Griffin Inn were spurred on to take action.'