UK Fire Safety Statistics Hub
In England in the year to March 2026, fire and rescue services carried out 50,195 fire safety audits. 40% found the premises unsatisfactory. Fire services issued 3,322 formal notices and brought 33 prosecutions, 3,355 formal actions in all, up 11% on the year before. Most figures come from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), and every figure is linked to its source at the foot of the page.
Data: England, April 2025 to March 2026 (MHCLG, published 2 September 2026), with the year before for comparison · Checked 15 October 2026 · MHCLG publishes this series once a year, in late summer
Most premises pass, and formal action is rising
Formal action followed about 1 audit in 15, and a prosecution was brought for about 1 formal notice in 100. Prosecutions fell from 35 to 33, and MHCLG counts prosecutions brought, not convictions. Informal notices, which set out what needs fixing without formal enforcement, are the usual outcome: 18,039 is down 6.2% on the year before but 31% more than the 13,727 issued in the year to March 2020. The sharpest rise was in prohibition notices, which restrict or stop the use of a building: up 27% to 1,224.
The duties breached most often
| Article of the Fire Safety Order | What it covers | Breaches, year to March 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Article 14 | Emergency routes and exits | 11,286 (up 9.3%) |
| Article 17 | Maintenance of fire safety measures | 9,727 |
| Article 9 | Fire risk assessment | 9,271 |
| Article 8 | General fire precautions | 8,792 (up 16%) |
Article 14, which requires escape routes and exits to be kept clear and marked with signs where needed, was the most breached duty: 13% of all breaches recorded. One unsatisfactory audit can record breaches of several articles, so the breach totals are larger than the number of failed audits.
Which premises receive enforcement notices
| Premises type | Enforcement notices, year to March 2026 | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Shops | 347 | 18% |
| Purpose-built flats, 6 to 9 storeys | 211 | 11% |
| Licensed premises | 195 | 10% |
Shops were also the most audited premises type, with 8,932 audits, ahead of care homes with 6,004. In the previous edition (year to March 2025, as first published) the top three for enforcement notices were shops (211, 12%), care homes (192, 11%) and other sleeping accommodation (163, 9.4%).
What non-compliance costs
Smaller recent cases show what magistrates and judges do with takeaways where people sleep upstairs. In March 2026 the sole director of the company running a takeaway in Truro received a 16-month suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and £4,800 costs for five offences, including failing to comply with an enforcement notice and problems with the escape routes, with people sleeping on the first floor (Cornwall Council). In September 2025 the director of a takeaway in Burgess Hill was fined £6,200 in total for five offences, including inadequate means of escape with people sleeping in the building (trade press reports of a West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service prosecution). In both cases the charges included the way out of the building.
What has to be in place
The Order does not require a sign on every door, only where the way out would not otherwise be obvious. BS EN ISO 7010 symbols meet the pictogram requirement, and older BS 5499 signs are still acceptable if they do the job. The law here applies in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own fire safety law, and the statistics on this page cover England only. The full picture, including the difference between a fire door and a fire exit, is in our guide: Do I need fire exit signs?
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of fire safety audits fail in England?
In the year to March 2026, 40% of the 50,195 fire safety audits carried out in England found the premises unsatisfactory, and 60% were satisfactory (MHCLG). On MHCLG's revised figures, 41% were unsatisfactory the year before.
How many fire safety notices are issued each year?
In England in the year to March 2026: 3,322 formal notices and 33 prosecutions, 3,355 formal actions in all and up 11% on the year before, plus 18,039 informal notices, down 6.2% (MHCLG).
Which premises receive the most fire safety enforcement notices?
Shops: 347 enforcement notices in the year to March 2026, 18% of the total, ahead of purpose-built flats of six to nine storeys (211) and licensed premises (195).
What is the most common fire safety breach?
Breaches of Article 14 of the Fire Safety Order, which covers emergency routes and exits: 11,286 in the year to March 2026, 13% of all breaches recorded and up 9.3% on the year before.
What is the maximum penalty for breaching the Fire Safety Order?
In England and Wales the fine is unlimited, in a magistrates' court (for offences since 12 March 2015) as well as the Crown Court. The Crown Court can also impose up to two years' imprisonment, instead of or as well as a fine (Article 32).
How often do fire safety breaches lead to prosecution?
Rarely. 33 prosecutions were brought in England in the year to March 2026, against 3,322 formal notices and 50,195 audits. An informal notice setting out what to fix is the usual outcome: 18,039 were issued that year.
Does every business need a written fire risk assessment?
In England and Wales, yes. Since 1 October 2023, section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 has required every responsible person to record the full fire risk assessment and their fire safety arrangements. That ended the exemption for firms with fewer than five employees.
Where these figures come from
Primary sources
- MHCLG, Fire prevention and protection statistics, England, April 2025 to March 2026 (published 2 September 2026): audits, notices, prosecutions, breaches by article, enforcement by premises type
- MHCLG, Fire prevention and protection statistics, England, April 2024 to March 2025 (published 28 August 2025): previous year's premises breakdown
- Home Office, Economic and social cost of fire (29 June 2023)
- Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Article 14 and Article 32; Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, section 85; Fire Industry Association, Removal of cap on magistrates' court fines for fire safety offences (September 2015)
- Building Safety Act 2022, section 156, and Home Office guidance, Fire safety responsibilities under section 156
- HSE, Safety signs and signals: guidance on regulations (L64, third edition, 2015)
- New Look Retailers Ltd v London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority [2010] EWCA Crim 1268; Irwin Mitchell, June 2010 (fire date)
- Tesco, Colney Hatch: Irwin Mitchell, May 2010; New Law Journal, 23 March 2012
- Cornwall Council, Takeaway owner who put lives at risk is sentenced (23 March 2026)
- Fire Industry Association, West Sussex company director prosecuted for fire safety breaches (September 2025)
On 1 April 2025 fire policy moved from the Home Office to MHCLG, and these statistics moved with it. The 2026 edition revised some figures for the year to March 2025; year-on-year changes on this page use the revised figures, as MHCLG does. The unsatisfactory share is 100% minus MHCLG's satisfactory share. Checked 15 October 2026; this page is updated when MHCLG publishes the next edition.
More from Cherry Grove Craft
Cherry Grove Craft engraves signs in FSC-certified oak veneered MDF, made to order in North Wales. We don't make fire exit signs: they have to follow the green-and-white format set by the Safety Signs Regulations, so use a specialist life-safety supplier for them.