Salford in Focus: Fire Safety, Risk and Compliance
Salford is a city and metropolitan borough on the western edge of Greater Manchester, sharing its eastern boundary with Manchester city centre and occupying a stretch of the Irwell valley that has been shaped, over the past two decades, by some of the most significant urban regeneration in the United Kingdom. MediaCity UK at Salford Quays has established the city as a major media and creative industries hub, with the BBC, ITV, dock10 and a growing cluster of production and technology businesses drawing thousands of workers daily. The Lowry theatre and gallery, the Imperial War Museum North and the new-build residential developments around the quays have transformed a former dockland into a high-density mixed-use district. Beyond the Quays, Salford retains a substantial industrial and logistics base across Eccles, Irlam and Agecroft, a large student population centred on the University of Salford and its surrounding private rented sector, and residential communities across Swinton, Worsley, Pendleton and Ordsall that include some of the most densely occupied housing in the city region. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is the enforcing authority for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 across the city, with five fire stations — Salford, Agecroft, Broughton, Eccles and Irlam — covering the borough.
For those who own, manage or occupy non-domestic premises in Salford, the FSO places a direct legal duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and to keep it under review. The range of premises types across the city — from large media and office campuses at the Quays, to industrial and warehousing operations in Eccles and Irlam, retail and hospitality premises in the town centres, and the residential and community buildings that serve Salford's population — means that the fire risk profiles facing responsible persons here vary considerably.
Two fires in Salford — the destruction of Clarendon Leisure Centre in May 2024 and a major industrial unit fire on Langley Road — illustrate the scale of incident that the city's fire risk environment can produce and the compliance considerations that follow.
Clarendon Leisure Centre Fire, Liverpool Street, Salford — May 2024
At around 2.45am on Friday 10 May 2024, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a fire at Clarendon Leisure Centre, off Liverpool Street in Salford. Eight fire engines from across Greater Manchester attended, along with the command support unit from Hyde, the prime mover from Bolton and the technical response unit from Leigh. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used hose reels and jets to bring the fire under control and prevent further spread. At the height of the incident, road closures were in place on Albion Way, Liverpool Street and Fitzwarren Street. Four engines remained on scene into the morning to damp down and monitor for hotspots.
Clarendon Leisure Centre was managed by Salford Community Leisure on behalf of Salford City Council, and had been undergoing a programme of refurbishment works at the time of the fire, including extension and redecoration of the gym, installation of new cardio equipment, boiler replacement and car park resurfacing. The fire destroyed a significant part of the building, collapsing the roof of one section and gutting the interior. Merseyside Police — sorry, Greater Manchester Police — opened an investigation into the cause and appealed for anyone with dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage from the area to come forward. The leisure centre was a well-used community asset and its loss was described as "really upsetting" by Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett.
Aerial footage of the aftermath of the Clarendon Leisure Centre fire, Salford, 10 May 2024. Video: SWNS / YouTube.
What responsible persons at leisure, community and public buildings should take from this Clarendon Leisure Centre was undergoing active refurbishment at the time of the fire. Buildings under refurbishment present a heightened fire risk that is often underestimated: contractors may introduce ignition sources or disturb compartmentation, storage of materials on site increases the fire load, out-of-hours working patterns mean the building may be unoccupied or attended only by security personnel during extended periods, and detection systems may be temporarily isolated or incomplete during works. A fire risk assessment must be reviewed whenever there is a significant change to the premises — and a major refurbishment programme is exactly that. The review should consider the fire risk introduced by the works themselves, not just the risk profile of the finished building.
Industrial Unit Fire, Langley Road, Salford — March 2026
Shortly before 11am on Tuesday 31 March 2026, eight fire engines were mobilised to a fire at a single-storey industrial unit on Langley Road in Salford. Crews arrived to find a 50 by 50 metre building well alight. At the height of the incident, appliances from across Greater Manchester were on scene, along with colleagues from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service who brought a specialist Stinger appliance — a device capable of penetrating walls, windows and roof voids to allow firefighters to attack the fire from outside the structure. Two aerial appliances were used to direct water onto the fire from above.
By the afternoon, crews had brought the blaze under control and saved four of the seven business premises on the site, though three units were lost. Five pumps and two aerials remained through the night. Road closures on Langley Road remained in place, though the adjacent railway line was able to reopen. Residents were advised throughout to keep windows and doors closed as a smoke plume was visible over a wide area. An investigation was launched to establish the cause. The operational profile — the scale of response, the cross-border mutual aid, the overnight attendance and the loss of part of the site despite the scale of firefighting resources committed — reflects the challenge that large single-storey industrial units present once a fire has established across an open floor plate.
What responsible persons at industrial units and business parks should take from this Large single-storey industrial units present a particular fire growth environment: open floor plates without internal compartmentation allow a fire to spread laterally across the full footprint of the building before suppression can be effective, and the volume of materials typically stored in a commercial unit — stock, racking, packaging, plant — provides a sustained fire load. The loss of three of the seven units on this site, despite a significant firefighting resource, is consistent with that profile. A fire risk assessment for any industrial or warehouse unit must address the adequacy of detection relative to the occupancy pattern of the building, the fire load presented by the contents and their arrangement, the provision of compartmentation or separation between units where these share a roof or structural elements, and whether the site's access arrangements allow appliances to reach all elevations of the building.
Fire Safety Duties for Responsible Persons in Salford
MediaCity, Salford Quays and office premises. The Quays is now home to some of the largest and most complex workplace environments in the North West, with media production facilities, office campuses, studios and mixed-use development occupying high-density buildings. Large office and production premises must hold written fire risk assessments covering all areas of the building, including production floors, plant rooms and common areas. Where premises are occupied on a shift basis or operate outside standard hours — as is common in broadcast and production environments — the evacuation plan must reflect the actual occupancy at all times of operation, not just during a standard working day.
Hotels, visitor economy and The Lowry. Salford Quays draws significant visitor numbers through The Lowry theatre and gallery, the Imperial War Museum North and the surrounding hotel and hospitality offer. Hotels are required to hold a written fire risk assessment covering guest accommodation, common areas and back-of-house facilities, and must ensure that fire safety arrangements are adequate for overnight occupancy when guests may be sleeping and unable to respond quickly to an alarm. Fire safety training for hotel staff, including procedures for assisting guests who may need help to evacuate, is a required element of compliance.
University campus and student accommodation. The University of Salford occupies a substantial campus close to the city centre, and the surrounding areas — particularly Peel Park, Broughton and Lower Kersal — include a large concentration of private rented housing and HMOs occupied by students. Landlords of HMOs are responsible persons under the FSO and must hold a written fire risk assessment. Fire door condition is a particular concern in converted terraced housing, where fire doors deteriorate rapidly under everyday residential use and may no longer provide effective compartmentation if not regularly inspected and maintained.
Industrial and logistics premises. Eccles, Irlam and Agecroft include a significant industrial and logistics base, including warehousing and distribution, manufacturing and trade premises. The compliance obligations for these premises are shaped primarily by the fire load and the occupancy pattern: the risk profile of a 24-hour logistics depot differs substantially from a light industrial unit operating standard weekday hours, and the fire risk assessment must reflect the actual use rather than a generic description of the premises type. Where flammable substances are stored or used, DSEAR obligations apply alongside the FSO.
Retail and town centre premises. Salford's town centres — including Eccles, Swinton and Pendleton Shopping City — include retail units, licensed premises and hospitality businesses carrying the standard FSO obligations for premises accessible to the public. A documented fire safety policy and written fire evacuation plan are expected for all premises with public access or significant staff numbers, and staff training must be current and demonstrably recorded.
Care homes and residential care. Care homes and supported living premises across the borough require particular attention to evacuation planning for residents who may not be able to self-evacuate. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans must be in place for all residents with relevant needs, and evacuation chair training for care staff is an expected element of a complete fire safety provision. GMFRS inspectors pay close attention to care home compliance, and the fire risk assessment must reflect the current dependency levels of all residents.
New-build residential blocks and managing agents. The regeneration of Salford Quays and Ordsall has produced a large number of new-build residential blocks, many of which are managed by agents responsible for the common parts. Managing agents are responsible persons for stairwells, corridors, plant rooms and external escape routes, and must hold a fire risk assessment covering those areas. Our dedicated service for managing agents sets out how we work with agents and property managers across the region.
Fire Safety Support for Salford and Greater Manchester
Fletcher Risk Management provides fire risk assessments in Salford and across Greater Manchester, alongside fire door inspections, fire safety training, evacuation plans, fire safety policies and evacuation chair training. Whether you manage an office campus at the Quays, an industrial or logistics unit in Eccles or Irlam, a retail or hospitality premises in one of the town centres, a care home, an HMO or a residential block as a managing agent, we can advise on your obligations and help you meet them. Please get in touch.
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This article is intended for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Responsible persons should seek professional advice tailored to their specific premises and circumstances. Fletcher Risk Management Ltd provides fire risk assessments, fire door inspections and fire safety training across the North West and North Wales.