A HOUSING company has been fined over £900,000 after "deadly bacteria" was found at a sheltered accommodation in Wirral.

The deadly bacteria was detected at Vincent Naughton Court on Rodney Street, Birkenhead following the sampling of its water systems in the communal areas and flats in July and August 2018

It led to an outbreak of legionella at the accommodation, putting vulnerable residents at risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

With all 44 samples testing positive for legionella, the residents were then evacuated from the Sanctuary Housing Association premises in August 2018, before returning in October and November 2018 after the water system was remedied through the installation of a chlorination unit.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found Sanctuary Housing Association “poorly managed the risk of legionella” in the water system of Vincent Naughton Court, with staff “inadequately trained and supervised”.

The residents were seen as a vulnerable group due to their age and underlying health issues, putting them at a higher risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

The HSE investigation found that legionella was detected during testing on July 16 and 31, which prompted a letter being written by Sanctuary Housing Association to residents, advising that work would be carried out on the water system on August 6.

The letter, dated August 3, misleadingly stated that the contaminated tap water could be stored in sinks and boiled in kettles.

The letter also failed to inform residents that they should avoid using their showers, which would lead to residents being exposed to the risk of Legionnaires’ disease.

Further testing on August 8 and 15 confirmed legionella was still present as work to fix the water system was carried out.

The residents were later evacuated on August 24.

Sanctuary Housing Association, of Castle Street, Worcester pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £900,000 and ordered to pay £11,480.60 in costs at Liverpool Crown Court on October 22 2024.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary Housing Association said: “The welfare of our residents and our employees is always our top priority.

"We entered a guilty plea to a breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act at an early stage in proceedings and, while no-one was harmed as a result of the incident in 2018, we are sorry that on this occasion we fell short of the standards required.

“We reviewed our legionella risk assessment processes in 2018 and implemented improvements to prevent this happening again.”

HSE inspector Rose Leese-Weller said: “Sanctuary Housing failed to protect vulnerable residents living at Vincent Naughton Court through its mismanagement of the site’s water system.

“It is very fortunate that none of the residents became ill as they were allowed, without any proper warnings, to continue to use the grossly contaminated water for a large period of time.

“Not only was there a failure by Sanctuary Housing to manage the risk of contamination in its water systems, but the company had not provided its staff with adequate instruction and training.”