A hotel has been fined after a child was scalded by hot gravy.

The incident happened when the five-year-old tripped over a trailing electrical wire.

The cable was from a soup kettle containing gravy that had been left unattended.

Failure to protect visitors

Here For You Hospitality Middlesbrough pleaded guilty under the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 to failing to protect the safety of non-employees.

It was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £1,645 toward costs.

The child is to receive £4,000 in compensation.

The prosecution was brought by Middlesbrough Council after environmental health officers investigated the incident.

Serious risk

The council said the company failed to manage their business safety giving rise to a serious risk to the public.

It stressed ‘Employers must take steps to protect their employees and any other people who could be affected by their work, giving particular consideration to the more vulnerable and those at greater risk such as small children’.

The council added ‘Health & Safety laws are there to set standards and protect workers and others. When standards fall below those required by law, there can be serious consequences for employees and as in this case the public’.