'We could lose £280,000’: Luton small businesses count cost of Selbourne Road fire

The blaze broke out at the Bathroom Store showroom on Saturday, August 15, with a major incident declared as firefighters tackled the fire. A large cordon was put in place around the area.

But while the fire was contained to the showroom, nearby businesses say the disruption caused by the closure of Selbourne Road had a significant impact on their ability to trade.

Zain Khan, owner of 5Akhis Luton and Autohaus, said his businesses were unable to operate for around three days, from Saturday to Monday (August 15 to 17).

He said: “We probably lost in excess of £30,000 or £40,000.”

Mr Khan said business owners expected the road to reopen on Sunday evening (August 16), only to find it remained closed the following day.

He said a group of local business owners gathered on Waller Avenue on Monday (August 17) morning to protest over the continued restrictions.

“We had to put pressure onto the police and the local councillors in order to get the road open,” he claimed. “It was through our efforts that the area was opened up.”

He added: “The reason why many of the business owners were upset was some businesses were allowed to operate, but the smaller businesses weren't.”

Mr Khan said he believed the combined losses for businesses across the area could run into millions.

Business owners eventually entered the area and demanded an explanation for the restrictions.

The road was partially reopened at around 2.30pm up to Arundel Road, before being fully reopened later that evening (August 17).

Owner of Nasons Farm Fresh Ltd, Mohammed Walayat, said the company had over 73 tonnes of poultry and frozen food stored at its premises ahead of the weekend.

He said the business was unable to process and deliver its poultry before its sell-by dates, with customers forced to make alternative arrangements.

Mr Walayat said the company received advice from a Luton Council Environmental Health Officer not to sell its inventory of fresh chicken.

“We've got chicken worth around £250,000 to £280,000,” he said.

He added the business now needed a specialist company to remove the affected poultry, adding to the financial impact, which took two days to complete, including a deep clean.

Nasons also suffered physical damage after part of the wall from the fire at Bathroom Store collapsed onto the rear of its premises, damaging compressors and condensers used for refrigeration.

The business was left without electricity for several days. Mr Walayat said UK Power Networks later identified a problem involving a substation. Power was finally restored at around1.30pm on Tuesday (August 18).

And he questioned why neighbouring businesses were allowed to operate while smaller businesses like Nasons faced restrictions.

“My neighbours are Thrifty Cars, they got to go in and out to get their cars, but I’m not allowed to do it,” he said.

Manager at Thrifty's Luton, Mohammed, said: “The fire did not affect us that much, just on Saturday for a few hours, but we were open on Monday.”

Meanwhile, a Jannat Supermarket employee said the supermarket suffered nearly £10,000 in losses due to soiled inventory, including melted ice cream, frozen foods and the raw produce from the butchers in the shop going off.

Councillor Basit Mahmood, Portfolio Holder responsible for Regeneration and Inclusive Growth said, “We fully understand and sympathise with the frustration being felt by local businesses following the fire at a premises on Selbourne Road, and we want to reassure them that the council is listening and is doing what it can to support businesses through this difficult period.

The council’s absolute and overriding priority has been to make the area safe. And we have been working extremely hard to do this as quickly as possible.

Access to the area has now been restored, now that the building owner’s contractors have removed unsafe sections and cleared the site so that the area can be made safe.

We recognise the significant impact the fire and the temporary restrictions had on local businesses and we understand the concerns raised about the disruption to trading and the financial losses experienced by some businesses. However, access restrictions were based solely on the location of the exclusion zone and the need to keep people safe.

The council’s Economic Growth Service has been working with affected businesses to understand their individual circumstances, listen to their concerns and do what we can to support them. This includes ensuring businesses are signposted to the support available locally and helping them access the appropriate advice and assistance. We also appreciate businesses will be working with their own insurance companies”.

Businesses affected by the incident can contact Niall Gleeson on 07709 852305 or at [email protected].