Fined for storing tonne of explosives at work
A directors of a Cheltenham business has been fined for illegally storing more than 1,000 kg of explosives at his business premises.
A director who stored more than 1,000 kg of explosives illegally on his business premises has been fined more than £25,000.
Chase James Gardiner, 42, of Hales Road, Cheltenham, and the sole director of Platinum Home Cinema (also Hales Road), was fined £3,986 with the business fined £11,200 and ordered to pay costs of £10,634.30.
The total fine paid being £25,820.30. Gardiner, who appeared in Cheltenham Magistrates Court on Tuesday 26 May, previously pleaded guilty to four charges of April 22 2026.
Platinum Home Cinema sold fireworks and organised displays under the trading name Chase Lane Fireworks and the charges the charges related to events that took place in July 2024.
Trading Standards officers visited a working livery yard in Shurdington, near Cheltenham, in July 2024 and found three shipping containers containing fireworks with a net mass of explosives of 1,220kg.
One of the licensed stores was found to be overstocked by 36 per cent, explosives were also stored in an unlicensed location, and steps to prevent explosions or protect people had not been taken.
A prosecution report highlighted a significant risk of serious injury or fatalities to people on the site or nearby.