Borough mill hopes to reopen next week after closure over safety fears

Businesses were at Leigh Spinners Mill emptying their units on Thursday (June 25) after workers learned of a prohibition notice served on the multi-occupied mill on Wednesday (June 24) due to it having an “inadequate means of escape in the event of a fire.”

They were told that floors two, three, four and five are prohibited for any purpose other than work to comply with the notice.

But Peter Rowlinson, chairman of the Leigh Building Preservation Trust (LBPT), who have been overseeing the renovation of the mill, said the mill should be open for businesses after Monday when the “neccesary” works are completed.

He said: “The decision by the fire service took us unawares as we thought matters were being resolved.

“We had been undertaking necessary works which are scheduled for completion on Monday and it’s disappointing that the fire service chose to issue this, but we hope we can reopen for business after Monday.”

One of the tenants there said some 33 businesses there have been ordered to leave and are "upset and angry."

He said: "We received an email saying that if our unit was not 18m towards the main staircase we would be at risk and we're right in the centre of the floor.

"The fire service come in about 3.30pm and by 3.45pm they had served it and closed the mill by 5pm on Wednesday.

"Some 33 businesses operating in the mill have been told to empty their units today between 9am and 5pm. "

The tenant said that major works were required which could keep them out of business for a good while.

He said: "We've been closed since March 23 and only opened half the business on Monday after the lockdown was eased and now all these businesess that have closed have got to shut again.

"A lot of businesses are quite upset and annoyed and angry and are in the dark and want to know what's going on.

"We want to work alongside the mill to get it reopened again."

The prohibition notice issued by the fire service reads: "The use of the premises as multi occupied commercial units poses a risk to anyone on the upper floors in the event of a fire of the premises and is considered so serious that a Prohibition Notice is appropriate.

"This is because the means of escape from the upper floor is not adequately protected from fire and smoke and the travel distance to a place of safety is excessive.

"In the event of a fire there is a risk that occupiers and members of the public would not be able to escape safely.

"The use of floors 2, 3, 4 and 5 is prohibited for any purpose other than undertaking work required to comply with the notice.

"Anyone using the premises other than for the purpose stated above is committing a criminal offence and on conviction may be fined or imprisoned for up to two years.

"Anyone using the premises is putting themselves at risk in the event of a fire."

In a statement, assistant chief fire officer Leon Parkes said: "Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) carried out a routine inspection of Leigh Spinners Mill yesterday to follow up an earlier Enforcement Notice. Unfortunately, the visit led to a decision to prohibit the use of the upper floors as, due to ongoing work, there was no safe escape route for tenants and members of the public and if a fire occurred people may become trapped.

"We recognise that preventing the use of a premises can be disruptive to businesses – my Officers spoke to all occupiers who were present yesterday to explain the situation. However, our primary concern is the safety of the public and could not allow the upper floors to remain occupied when it is not safe to do so.

He added: "GMFRS has engaged extensively with the responsible person for the premises along with our partners at Wigan Council and we will continue to do so in order to support the reopening of parts or all of the premises at the earliest opportunity."

The former cotton mill has been completely revitalised in recent years and is now home to an archery range, a martial arts club, film screenings and an organisation doing music lessons for young children.

The project was expeted to move forward again after the LBPT received £180,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund. with plans to make a number of improvements to the fabric of the building.