:00:04. > :00:09.Hello and welcome to Inside Out South West. Investigations and
:00:09. > :00:13.stories from where you live. Tonight have the lessons of
:00:13. > :00:18.Britain's worst hotel fire in 40 years been learned? I thought I was
:00:18. > :00:25.trapped. I could speck smoke. I thought this is my end. We go
:00:25. > :00:30.undercover to for safety concerns. I think things have got worse, the
:00:30. > :00:38.problem is you could be booking into a hotel which could be a
:00:38. > :00:42.deathtrap. Sorting out a very faulty towers. The fire safety
:00:42. > :00:51.flaws inherited by the new owner of Torquay's reality TV hotel, and
:00:51. > :00:56.what he is doing about them. Also tonight, the only way is up, for
:00:56. > :01:06.Devon's double amputee mountaineer Norman Croucher. I I am Sam Smith
:01:06. > :01:17.
:01:17. > :01:24.When you check-in to a hotel, how much thought do you give to how
:01:24. > :01:27.safe it? The death of three people in the Penhallow Hotel fire five
:01:27. > :01:31.years ago revealed worrying shortcomings in some hotels. What
:01:31. > :01:39.we are going to show you tonight suggest there's is still serious
:01:39. > :01:43.cause for concern. It is not known for sure how the Penhallow Hotel
:01:43. > :01:52.started. But it was the speed at which it spread that proved
:01:52. > :01:59.devastating. In the aftermath, we asked one expert a question. Could
:01:59. > :02:05.it happen again? Certainly, all the ingredients are there for a similar
:02:05. > :02:15.catastrophe. And he was right. May last year. Tantons Hotel in
:02:15. > :02:17.
:02:17. > :02:21.As investigators move in they quickly discover the clues that it
:02:21. > :02:26.is arson. But also how guests were put at unnecessary risk, by the
:02:27. > :02:34.state of the hotel itself. Four people had to be rescued from the
:02:34. > :02:38.roof. 51 others evacuated. One of them was Judith Hambrook. First
:02:38. > :02:43.thing I knew was the alarm at 3.30 in the morning. I thought this is
:02:43. > :02:47.for real. Put the light on. Then it stopped. The alarm stopped. And I
:02:47. > :02:54.looked out of the window. I couldn't see anything, but I could
:02:54. > :02:59.hear shouting. "Help, help." The alarm went again and I thought
:02:59. > :03:07."That is for real." I got dressed. I could smell smoke, so I left the
:03:07. > :03:12.room, and then I made for the fire exit, looking for fire exits.
:03:12. > :03:15.Followed this corridor. Opened the door. Had to go down a well of
:03:15. > :03:20.about five steps, to which I thought was an outer door, fire
:03:20. > :03:25.door. I went down, I pushed, nothing happened. I wouldn't open.
:03:25. > :03:30.I pushed extra hard, still, I kicked, started to panic. I turned
:03:30. > :03:34.round, to go back up, and the door had closed behind me, which I
:03:34. > :03:42.suppose it should have done. There was no handle on the inside. So I
:03:42. > :03:48.really thought I was trapped. I could smell smoke. I thought "This
:03:48. > :03:52.is my end." Somehow, I don't know how I managed to do it I put my
:03:52. > :03:58.finger in the hole and I managed to do something to pull that door open,
:03:58. > :04:05.and I got back on to landing. Judith managed to escape. Despite
:04:05. > :04:08.the hotel's many failings. Like an exit route blocked by oil canisters.
:04:08. > :04:14.A Sir Menzies Campbell detector covered own so it was useless. As
:04:14. > :04:20.well as that door without a handle, and the one to the street that was
:04:20. > :04:28.Jameed. Leaving Judith trapped. -- a smoke detector. At court last
:04:28. > :04:32.month, owners Chescombe Ltd were fined �40,000. Like the owners of
:04:32. > :04:39.the Penhallow the company had been warned about safety problems years
:04:39. > :04:44.earlier. So, what is going on? Is it rare for hotels like Tantons and
:04:44. > :04:48.the Penn to be putting their guests lives in danger, or is there a
:04:48. > :04:54.wider problem in the industry. We decided to investigate. --
:04:54. > :04:58.Penhallow. With the help of this man. Alan Cox has worked in the
:04:58. > :05:02.fire safety industry for more than 40 years, as a fireman and
:05:02. > :05:06.consultant. Five years ago, we asked him to go undercover in
:05:06. > :05:14.south-west hotels. He found problems at 13 out of the 14 he
:05:14. > :05:20.visited. That door is held open by the car net. It maybe the carpet
:05:20. > :05:25.fitters who have done it. When Alan was a fireman, it was the job of
:05:25. > :05:30.the fire brigade to certify hotels as safe. But six years ago the law
:05:30. > :05:35.changed and now assessing safety is down to hotel owners. Alan is
:05:35. > :05:40.worried that system just isn't working. I think that things have
:05:40. > :05:44.got worse. Because a lot of the things I am seeing now are basic
:05:44. > :05:48.failure, the problem is today you book a hotel, you don't foe whether
:05:48. > :05:51.it has been inspected by a competent person, you don't know
:05:51. > :05:54.how competent that person was, what degree of knowledge and experience
:05:55. > :05:59.they have. You don't know when the fire brigade last checked the
:05:59. > :06:04.building. As a consequence, you could be booking into a hotel which
:06:04. > :06:08.could be a deathtrap. So we asked Alan to go undercover in a sample
:06:08. > :06:13.of hotels again. Checking for weaknesss in the defences, that
:06:13. > :06:16.should keep fire under control for at least half an hour. What should
:06:16. > :06:20.happen, in theory of course, you get a fire in a bedroom, shoiant
:06:20. > :06:26.spread out of that bedroom. The problem is, particularly in older
:06:26. > :06:33.hotels, there are a lot of voids and openings which separate rooms
:06:33. > :06:38.and fire can travel in those voids, and go from room to room rapidly.
:06:38. > :06:45.Alan son fuends problems. Store cupboards are high risk for fire,
:06:45. > :06:55.and should be kept locked shut. -- Alan ee -- Alan soon fuends
:06:55. > :07:06.
:07:06. > :07:12.Shoddy workmanship like this pro vieds routes for fire to spread. --
:07:12. > :07:22.provides. As does this exit door, left ajar under a fire escape. We
:07:22. > :07:42.
:07:42. > :07:48.found many fire doors propped open. In self closing hinge would take
:07:48. > :07:52.minutes to repair, but nobody's bothered. And badly fitting doors
:07:52. > :07:55.are a concern. Well, obviously the gap at the top of the door is where
:07:55. > :08:02.the fire will first find its way through that door in the frame.
:08:02. > :08:07.Because that is the hottest part of the fire. Here, Alan has found a
:08:07. > :08:13.feature common to many Victorian hotels. It is an internal light
:08:13. > :08:17.well, surrounded by corridors and rooms. One possible factor in the
:08:17. > :08:22.rapid spread of the Penhallow blaze was the windows round a similar
:08:22. > :08:32.well didn't have fire resisting glazing, and nor do they at the
:08:32. > :08:32.
:08:32. > :09:33.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 61 seconds
:09:33. > :09:43.Remember that blocked exit route at Tantons? In one hotel, Alan follows
:09:43. > :09:49.
:09:49. > :09:57.an escape route that lead through Imagine trying to get past this lot
:09:57. > :10:02.in the dark, and in a panic. Elsewhere, if you found yourself on
:10:02. > :10:08.this fire escape you would have to hope it wasn't all ready alight,
:10:08. > :10:11.thanks to the rubbish underneath. And remember the missing handle
:10:11. > :10:18.that left Judith Hambrook trapped in the Tantons fire? Well, this is
:10:18. > :10:24.the final exit door on a fire escape route. It is not maintained
:10:24. > :10:31.properly. That is going to come off, you know. Somebody in a panic
:10:31. > :10:35.grabbed that, it would probably come off. All be one of the 14
:10:35. > :10:40.hotels we visit fail Alan's inspection. The same worrying
:10:40. > :10:43.result as our investigation five years ago. I had hoped that after
:10:43. > :10:48.we did the last programme there would be a significant improvement
:10:48. > :10:53.in the hotels here. Clearly, after what we have seen, there isn't.
:10:53. > :10:59.Many of the failings are exactly the same. You might be wondering
:10:59. > :11:03.what the roll of the Fire Service is in all this. While officers no
:11:03. > :11:07.longer certify hotels at safe, they do inspect them. But not all of
:11:08. > :11:11.them. Using the Freedom of Information Act we discover that
:11:11. > :11:16.only round a quarter of all hotels in Devon an Somerset have been
:11:16. > :11:21.inspected in the past five year, and last year, half of those that
:11:21. > :11:26.did get a visit were judged unsatisfactory. Devon an Somerset
:11:26. > :11:30.Fire Service points out it targets the riskiest hotels and that the
:11:30. > :11:34.number of fires has gone down by nearly half since the law changed:.
:11:34. > :11:38.We used to come along, check your building, give you a fire
:11:38. > :11:42.certificate and I know from personal experience, that fire
:11:42. > :11:46.certificate, issued in year one, checked in year three, may have
:11:46. > :11:50.lain dormant in a drawer for all of that time. It wasn't a live matter,
:11:50. > :11:54.and we can't be there all of the time, that is the difference, we
:11:54. > :11:58.have got thousands of buildings where people need to be protected
:11:58. > :12:04.from fire, and it is people in those buildings that need to take
:12:04. > :12:14.action. One concern though is that the economic downturn is leading to
:12:14. > :12:23.
:12:23. > :12:29.We are hearing that some are repeat customers are extending the Tyne
:12:29. > :12:37.between inspections. In this hotel order is not cutting corners but he
:12:38. > :12:44.is aware of the cost of keeping guests safe. You have got to have a
:12:44. > :12:52.strip which expands and seals the door. They have replaced every
:12:52. > :12:56.Fyodor and rewired twice to comply with new legislation. -- fire door.
:12:56. > :13:02.We have a smoke detector in every bedroom. If that is what you have
:13:02. > :13:08.got to do that is what you have got to do. How expensive is it? It is
:13:08. > :13:12.very expensive. I some people going out of business because of this?
:13:12. > :13:20.You will hear people saying that the business will not support it.
:13:20. > :13:30.It depends what your priorities are. If you are a fan of fly-on-the-wall
:13:30. > :13:32.
:13:32. > :13:42.TV you might not be surprised which a hotel was of most concern.
:13:42. > :13:47.
:13:47. > :13:50.Welcome to the Grosvenor. Would I stay in this hotel? The directors
:13:50. > :13:56.and owners of a certain store or probably do not wear the clothes
:13:56. > :14:00.from that stored. They then that order Mark Jenkins did not read his
:14:00. > :14:09.hotel and neither did we. Underneath this fire escape we find
:14:09. > :14:18.a bonfire in waiting. And another hazard is spotted. You can see a
:14:18. > :14:27.window that has not caught fire resistant blazing. -- fire
:14:27. > :14:33.resistant glass. Inside we found an and lot linen cupboard with no
:14:33. > :14:38.smoke detector. Hot laundered linen cannot spontaneously combust. This
:14:38. > :14:44.linen cupboard is on an escape route. We found many fire doors
:14:44. > :14:49.propped open. We contacted Mr Jenkins who was in the middle of
:14:49. > :14:59.selling the hotel. He did not respond even when the told him
:14:59. > :15:03.
:15:03. > :15:13.about the reminder of what had happened to Judith Hambrook and.
:15:13. > :15:16.
:15:16. > :15:20.Can you give it a big pool? -- a big pool. There were more fire
:15:20. > :15:29.doors wedged open and there were closed. That would tell has got to
:15:29. > :15:33.realise where the problems lie and do something about it. -- at hotel.
:15:33. > :15:37.He alerted the fire service who sent an advisory letter to Mr
:15:37. > :15:42.Jenkins, but he did not take any action. Four weeks later the Grove
:15:42. > :15:50.and there has got a new aura. Keith Richardson is getting down to
:15:50. > :15:54.sorting out safety. We have started. His team have found a concern that
:15:54. > :16:01.we must. Imagine how much fuel this lot would provide for a buyer. It
:16:01. > :16:10.had all been dumped in the basement. The new owner has been disposing of
:16:10. > :16:18.it. The previous owners have just been storing whatever is broken.
:16:18. > :16:24.All of this has huge amount of furniture was all in the basement
:16:24. > :16:34.of the hotel. I showed the new owner the faults that he had found.
:16:34. > :16:35.
:16:35. > :16:43.His team showed me even more. Among the priorities for the pair were
:16:43. > :16:53.this fire escape. Bat has been fixed this afternoon. -- bat has
:16:53. > :16:54.
:16:54. > :17:04.been fixed. What about the jab X's daughter? -- what about their exit
:17:04. > :17:04.
:17:04. > :17:11.door that is jammed. Why don't you close the hotel for a
:17:11. > :17:19.few days until things like this are sorted. If the fire brigade had
:17:19. > :17:27.serious issues they would have closed it down. It is you call.
:17:27. > :17:31.That is why we are working today. He was true to his word. The Fire
:17:31. > :17:39.Service says it is pleased with the progress that has been made towards
:17:39. > :17:44.meeting legal obligations. That took 10 seconds. You can check out
:17:44. > :17:49.all sorts of things about a hotel. The size of the swimming pool,
:17:49. > :17:58.their availability of a bar, but when it comes down to what is most
:17:58. > :18:02.important, you're safety in a fire, you are left to hope that the owner
:18:02. > :18:06.knows what they are doing and that the fire service will step down if
:18:06. > :18:10.they do not. That system did not protect the
:18:10. > :18:17.victims of the Penhallow fire or people like Judith Handbook who
:18:17. > :18:27.could have perished. If I go anywhere now where there is a
:18:27. > :18:32.bonfire I get flashbacks. You cannot put a price on life. People
:18:32. > :18:42.are coming to stay in your hotel. They want to be seat. We must have
:18:42. > :18:52.
:18:52. > :18:56.Plenty of retired people live active and adventurous lives at how
:18:56. > :19:01.many 72-year-old double amputees are still out there climbing
:19:01. > :19:11.mountains? Our reporter joined Norman Croucher on his latest
:19:11. > :19:14.
:19:14. > :19:24.Last year inside out followed Norman Croucher as he was learning
:19:24. > :19:28.to paraglide. One year later he is still setting himself challenges.
:19:28. > :19:35.Remarkable for a man who did not -- remarkable for a man who nearly did
:19:35. > :19:39.not make it to the age of 20. In 1960 as a young Nineteen-year-old
:19:39. > :19:44.Norman Croucher stumbled drunk on to train tracks and passed out.
:19:44. > :19:48.When he recovered both legs had been cut off by a passing train.
:19:48. > :19:54.Despite his accident he has gone on to become one of the most
:19:54. > :19:58.successful men two years in the UK. At 72, long past the age when many
:19:58. > :20:06.people hang up their boots, he is planning his next trip to the
:20:06. > :20:13.mountains. This is where I keep my spare legs. It is an old fashion
:20:13. > :20:21.design. They work for me. On this next trip I shall not take them. It
:20:22. > :20:31.is a quick trip. I should not need them. We have got a very flexible
:20:32. > :20:32.
:20:32. > :20:36.plan. We me go to a nice-looking mountain in Austria. But a friend
:20:36. > :20:45.who lives in Switzerland has suggested that the wait and see
:20:45. > :20:50.what the weather is like before deciding where to go. Jude worries
:20:50. > :20:57.a little bit before I go away but not enormously. This time it is a
:20:57. > :21:05.short trip. When I am on the bigger trips in isolated places they she
:21:05. > :21:10.worries more. Norman is off on another trip. How does that make
:21:11. > :21:16.you feel? As long as he achieves what he wants to do that is fine by
:21:16. > :21:23.me. What does he think about you when he goes away? Does he worry
:21:23. > :21:33.about you? I do not think so. He knows I am having a lovely time. He
:21:33. > :21:39.
:21:39. > :21:44.will not worry about me. There is When Norman finally arrives in
:21:44. > :21:54.Switzerland he is met by his friend and climbing partner Ian it's all
:21:54. > :21:55.
:21:55. > :22:05.brick. All the need now is good weather.
:22:05. > :22:09.
:22:09. > :22:15.There is a tiny bit of blue. After two days waiting for the weather to
:22:15. > :22:25.turn finally the rain stops and it looks like their luck will change.
:22:25. > :22:30.
:22:30. > :22:38.We have had two days of bad weather. It has come good. One thing I have
:22:38. > :22:44.to do is put some take on the stump because there are up areas that
:22:44. > :22:51.tend to grab and the skin comes off and it gets very painful. I use the
:22:51. > :23:01.tape as a preventative measure. It's works pretty well. With it
:23:01. > :23:06.being hot today, particularly with sweating the skin gets soft, and
:23:06. > :23:13.there is the chance of losing skin, but that his life. It is lose a bit
:23:13. > :23:21.of skin or state of the hills. There is one slight problem. Parts
:23:21. > :23:31.of the trail may be a unseasonably cold. It is almost they end of June.
:23:31. > :23:37.There is more snow than usual. After nearly six months of planning
:23:37. > :23:43.the set off up the Chilchorn. This is the peak of just under 2,800
:23:43. > :23:47.metres in Switzerland. I did not climb last year. I was paragliding
:23:47. > :23:53.instead. I used up enough adrenalin for that year. It is nice to get
:23:53. > :24:00.back here. I hope the weather improves. The forecast is very good.
:24:00. > :24:05.I think we're going to be lucky. Norman is as huge inspiration to
:24:05. > :24:09.other men to tears. I met him on at trek to the base camp of K2. That
:24:09. > :24:15.is the second highest peak in the world in Pakistan. I met Norman
:24:15. > :24:22.when he was descending from the neighbouring 8,000 Meek of Broad
:24:22. > :24:28.Peak. I was curious to find out who this person was. It turned out to
:24:28. > :24:38.be a man with no legs beneath Denise. To see Norman coming of an
:24:38. > :24:39.
:24:39. > :24:43.8,000 metre mountain with to prosthetics astounded me.
:24:43. > :24:53.One hour into the climate the temperature rising in the June
:24:53. > :25:03.sunshine and Norman is feeling the pace. A I do not know where we are.
:25:03. > :25:17.
:25:17. > :25:23.I do not know how much longer this After a short break the poor show.
:25:23. > :25:31.The route is becoming much more demanding. -- after a short break
:25:31. > :25:37.in the resume. I nearly went at the wrong side of
:25:37. > :25:44.the mountain. But the path is very clear this week. It seems to zig-
:25:44. > :25:54.zagged through the cracks. -- it seems to zig-zagged through the
:25:54. > :26:13.
:26:13. > :26:23.cracks. It have to be quite steep. This summer it looks more
:26:23. > :26:33.
:26:33. > :26:38.impressive in real life than in the After I lost my legs in some ways
:26:38. > :26:41.it is parallel to what age is doing now. I cannot do now what I used to
:26:41. > :26:51.do 15 years ago. That does not matter. You have just got to pick
:26:51. > :26:58.
:26:58. > :27:08.the right things. I am having a I will be all right once I get my
:27:08. > :27:41.
:27:41. > :27:51.You can do this last bit without Got it. We are there. Well done.
:27:51. > :27:57.Good choice. You have still got it in you. I am very pleased to be on
:27:57. > :28:06.the top. It is two years since I was up a mountain. I am very
:28:06. > :28:15.pleased to have resumed. I can see around here lot of peaks that would
:28:15. > :28:19.keep me going for many years. If I can keep going. That is the
:28:19. > :28:23.Finsteraarhorn over there. After an exhausting climb up Norman has made