Pub chain fined £33k over toddler fall

A UK pub chain has been fined £33,000 after a toddler fell through railings and into its basement.

The incident, which was caught on CCTV, happened at The Slug and Lettuce pub in London’s Hanover Street on October 2, 2012.

The two-year-old girl, who had been having lunch with her family, slipped through a balustrade guarding a two-metre drop into the pub’s basement, as reported by Get West London.

The toddler was taken to hospital by ambulance but escaped serious harm.

On Wednesday, October 10, the Slug and Lettuce Company admitted breaching health and safety laws and was fined £33,000.

Westminster City Council’s health and safety team found that there was a gap in the balustrade which did not conform to the UK’s 100mm regulation, which has been in place since 1976.

The Slug and Lettuce Company was fined £8,000 at Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was told to pay Westminster Council costs of £25,000 and a victim surcharge of £400, which amounts to £33,400.

Councillor Nickie Aiken, Westminster Council’s public protection boss, said: “People sometimes scoff at the small print of health and safety regulations but here is an example of what can happen when it’s not observed.

“While this little girl is so lucky not to have been seriously hurt, the accident could have ended very differently. Hard work by Westminster City Council’s health and safety team has ensured this lapse came to light. Now, other businesses should learn the lesson.”

A spokesman for the Slug and Lettuce Company said: “This incident is extremely regrettable and our sincere apologies were extended to the family at the time.

“Since then we have reviewed, and continue to review, health and safety at all of our premises and I can report that no incidents of this nature have happened since.”