DIRECTORS behind a hotel have admitted a string of health and safety offences after an investigation was sparked by a guest receiving an electric shock from an iron.

Officers from Colchester Council visited the Rose and Crown in East Street, Colchester, after the incident in January last year and found a number of other issues.

Risk assessments showed no hazardous substances assessment had been carried out and there had been no attempted to manager or control the risk of Legionella in the building’s water systems.

The lift which carried guests from floor to floor had never been inspected, when it should have been checked ever six months.

Asbestos was also found within the building’s structure which has never been properly identified or managed.

The customer's shock was caused by a faulty electrical cable.

The council brought a prosecution against the hotel’s operating company Bremwell and the firm admitted five health and safety offences at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court.

Since the investigation began, the firm’s bosses have co-operated fully with Colchester Council officers.

Portfolio holder for communities Tina Bourne said the council had a duty to enforce relevant legislation to keep residents and visitors safe.

She said: “"Health and safety regulations exist to protect customers and staff who are simply going about their day. In this case, multiple failures to properly assess and manage risks resulted in an electrical shock and could have caused harm in a number of other ways.

"Colchester Borough Council will always enforce legislation where a business is not meeting its statutory responsibility to preserve the safety of everyone on its premises."

Guidance for health and safety issues for businesses are available at colchester.gov.uk/healthandsafety.

The company will be sentenced at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on June 28.

The firm pleaded guilty to the following offences: • Section 3, Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HASWA) 1974, regarding the electric shock to a hotel guest from a faulty iron

• Regulation 4, Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 – failure to identify and manage asbestos containing materials

• Regulation 9, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 – failure to have conducted statutory examination of a passenger lift

• Regulation 6, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 – failure to assess the risk to health from legionella bacteria and hazardous cleaning chemicals

• Section 3, Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HASWA) 1974, regarding the failure to control the risk of Legionella in the hot and cold water system at the hotel and potential exposure of hotel guests to the bacteria.