A Hampshire restaurant owner has been told to pay more than £4,000 in fines and costs for flouting fire safety laws and putting lives at risk.

Jia Wu was prosecuted following a fire in a second floor bedroom above the Golden Dragon Chinese takeaway in High Street, Totton.

A fire safety inspection revealed that no fire alarm system had been installed and no fire risk assessments had been carried out.

Wu appeared at Southampton Magistrates' Court and pleaded guilty to two offences relating to the safety breaches.

The lay magistrate said fire safety standards in the premises fell well below what was required by legislation.

She added that numerous risk factors included electrical extension cables that were overloaded and an extraction system that was not adequately maintained. Wu was fined £1,200 for each offence and ordered to pay costs of £1,963, plus a community surcharge of £120.

Steve Foye, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's head of community safety, said: "We work closely with businesses to help them comply with fire safety law, ensuring the safety of our community and making Hampshire safer.

“Where their responsibilities are not taken seriously, the service will always consider prosecution. “We would like this case to act as a timely reminder to business owners throughout Hampshire.

“The safety of the public is our primary concern. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service will continue to utilise all the powers available to us in enforcing fire safety legislation."