AN island hotel has been shut down by fire chiefs – hours after a pensioner plunged down a lift shaft.
The Stromness Hotel on Orkney was ordered to close after a two-year probe discovered several “safety deficiencies”.
On Friday, an 83-year-old guest was rushed to hospital after dropping down the elevator shaft.
Cops attended the scene and the injured man is understood to have since returned home abroad.
The sudden closure left scores of lodgers and staff struggling to find alternative accommodation – but tourism body VisitScotland were praised for helping to sort this over the weekend.
One guest said: “I stayed there last week when it happened. I wasn’t impressed with the set-up and I’m glad it’s closed down.”
The lift incident came just before firefighters slapped the owners with a prohibition order after discovering a catalogue of safety failures.
SFRS Orkney Group Commander David McGroarty said: “This notice prohibits the full use of the premise with immediate effect.”
In a statement, hotel owner Na’ím Paymán said there was an agreed action plan in place with a member of the fire service regarding “ongoing works to ensure full compliance of the building.”
He said: “Most of these works have been completed, and we have been in continuous communication with the representative who was happy with the progress being made with regards to an outstanding point on repairs or replacement to the emergency stairs, which were also being worked on over the last few months.
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“On Saturday we received a surprise visit by another officer, who decided to shut the entire property down.
“We were under the impression that this could be appealed, as noted on the prohibition notice, however it seems that this is not the case, despite what it stated on the notice. As a result, we’ve had to ask all staff and guests to vacate the hotel today.
“As this was served as an out-of-hours notice, we don’t know the full details of what they want us to do to be able to open, and they have refused to provide details for the time being.
“We are trying our best to support guests and staff at this very difficult time, and find a way of reopening as soon as possible.”
Mr Paymán added that he would appreciate assistance with hosting guests.
Fire Chief McGroarty added: “I can confirm that a prohibition notice was issued to the owners of The Stromness Hotel in Orkney on Saturday, 27 July in line with the provisions of section 63 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005.
“A prohibition notice is a legally binding document which requires full compliance. It will remain in effect until all matters giving rise to the risk posed by the premises are rectified.
“This follows more than two years of engagement with hotel management and the building’s dutyholder in relation to a number of fire safety deficiencies which had previously been identified.
“We remain in contact with the building’s duty holder and our local authority partners to discuss next steps and to ensure safety of all relevant persons.”
Orkney Islands Council said: “We aware of the prohibition notice issued by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service which resulted in the immediate closure of the Stromness Hotel.
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“Support was provided by VisitScotland to ensure all guests were accommodated elsewhere and their efforts with the wider Orkney community in finding alternative accommodation, particularly during the height of the season, are to be commended.”
The Health and Safety Executive is also aware of the incident.
