Vulnerable sheltered housing residents put at risk of deadly disease after firm's failings

A company which runs sheltered accommodation for vulnerable people has been slapped with a £900,000 fine after an outbreak of a deadly bacterial disease.

was detected at the Vincent Naughton Court on Rodney Street in Birkenhead between July and August 2018 after a sample was taken from the communal areas and flats. All 44 samples which were taken tested positive for the disease, meaning residents were at risk of contracting it.

Shortly after the was discovered, residents were evacuated from the Sanctuary Housing premises before they returned two months later in October and November 2018 after the water system was fixed through the installation of a chlorination unit.

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Legionnaires' disease can be caught by breathing in tiny droplets of water containing bacteria that cause the infection. It is uncommon but is very serious and complications with it can lead to death, the .

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Sanctuary Housing poorly managed the risk of legionella in the water system of Vincent Naughton Court, with staff inadequately trained and supervised. The residents were a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and underlying health issues, putting them at a higher risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

It continued, adding how legionella was detected during testing on July 16 and July 31. This prompted a letter being written by the housing company to people living in their accommodation, advising them work would be taking place to the water system on August 6. The letter, which was dated three days earlier, misleadingly stated that the contaminated tap water could be stored in sinks and boiled in kettles.

The letter also failed to inform residents that they should avoid using their showers, which would lead to residents being exposed to the risk of Legionnaires’ disease. Further testing on August 8 and 15 confirmed legionella was still present as work to fix the water system was carried out. The residents were later evacuated on August 24.

Sanctuary Housing Association, of Castle Street, Worcester pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £900,000 and ordered to pay £11,480.60 in costs at on Tuesday (October 22).

HSE inspector Rose Leese-Weller said: “Sanctuary Housing failed to protect vulnerable residents living at Vincent Naughton Court through its mismanagement of the site’s water system. It is very fortunate that none of the residents became ill as they were allowed, without any proper warnings, to continue to use the grossly contaminated water for a large period of time.

"Not only was there a failure by Sanctuary Housing to manage the risk of contamination in its water systems, but the company had not provided its staff with adequate instruction and training.”

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “The welfare of our residents and our employees is always our top priority. We entered a guilty plea to a breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act at an early stage in proceedings and, while no-one was harmed as a result of the incident in 2018, we are sorry that on this occasion we fell short of the standards required.

“We reviewed our legionella risk assessment processes in 2018 and implemented improvements to prevent this happening again.”