C Watkins Plumbing Limited has been fined £20,000 after four workers were forced to escape a fast-spreading fire on the roof of a 14-storey apartment block under construction in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey.
C Watkins Plumbing Limited pleaded guilty to a breach of construction safety regulations. Staines Magistrates’ Court imposed the fine and ordered the company to pay £8,270 in costs on 29 October 2026, following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
What happened on the roof
The incident occurred on 26 July 2024 at the Old Telephone Exchange development in Staines-upon-Thames. Four subcontractors working under the control of C Watkins Plumbing Limited were installing an air source heat pump on the building’s roof.
According to the HSE, sparks from welding work ignited uncovered rigid foam insulation that had been laid across the roof. The fire became self-sustaining and spread rapidly across the roof space, eventually burning out when its fuel was exhausted.
The four workers escaped through a single opening in the roof floor, descending a ladder to Level 14. Investigators established that there was no alternative route off the roof, no way of raising the alarm and no fire extinguishers available to the workers.
What the HSE investigation found
The HSE concluded that C Watkins Plumbing Limited had failed to plan, manage and monitor the hot works. The investigation identified the following failings:
- No risk assessment had been put in place for the welding work.
- No method statement had been prepared for the activity.
- No permit to work had been issued for the welding, despite the company’s own procedures requiring one.
- Uncovered rigid foam insulation was exposed to ignition from welding sparks.
- The workers had one escape route, through an opening and down a ladder.
- There were no fire extinguishers or means of raising the alarm on the roof.
The HSE said the missing risk assessment, method statement and welding permit were particularly significant because the company already had policies requiring such precautions.
Guilty plea and court sentence
C Watkins Plumbing Limited, based at Watkins House, Leigh Road, Haine Industrial Park, Ramsgate, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 15(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
That provision requires contractors to plan, manage and monitor construction work carried out by them or by workers under their control so that, as far as reasonably practicable, it is undertaken without risks to health and safety.
At Staines Magistrates’ Court on 29 October 2026, the company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £8,270 in prosecution costs. The combined amount of the fine and costs was £28,270. The HSE brought the prosecution; the court imposed the sentence.
What the inspector said
HSE inspector Stephanie Hickford-Smith said the company had not followed its own hot-work procedures or assessed the risks, leaving the workers without proper controls.
“The four men working on the roof were lucky to escape.”
Stephanie Hickford-Smith, HSE inspector
The inspector warned that the consequences could have been devastatingly different if the fire had started nearer the only escape route or if the workers had reacted less quickly.
Why the construction fire rules matter
The HSE’s Fire Safety in Construction (HSG168) guidance says fire risks should be considered from design and procurement through to active construction. Assessments should address tasks with a high risk of rapid fire spread and sites where evacuation is difficult.
The regulator says those assessments and the accompanying control measures must be reviewed as construction progresses. Welding near combustible materials, limited escape routes and inadequate emergency equipment can create a dangerous combination.
What remains unclear
The HSE confirmed that the four men escaped. Its published account does not establish whether any worker required medical treatment, or give a detailed breakdown of the wider damage beyond the roof fire. Those points have not been independently confirmed.
