The number of fire safety warnings issued by firefighters in Gloucestershire more than trebled over the last five years, new figures show.

The Fire Brigades Union warned the UK is facing "a widespread building safety crisis" and called for "strict enforcement" for companies putting lives at risk.

Fire services regularly conduct fire safety audits in public buildings and private businesses, to ensure they comply with public health regulations.

New figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government show the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service conducted 826 fire safety audits in the year to March.

Of these, 279 were deemed unsatisfactory, resulting in a safety warning being issued.

This was a 120% increase on the 127 issued a year earlier, and an increase on the 80 five years earlier.

Across England, there were 51,020 fire safety audits conducted in the year to March, with 21,323 warnings issued, a slight decrease on the 21,708 a year earlier, but a 33% rise on five years ago.

When the outcome of a fire safety audit is unsatisfactory, agreed action plans known as informal or formal notifications may be issued.

Formal notifications are issued in the most serious of cases where less formal action has failed to resolve issues of non-compliance.

In Gloucestershire, the number of formal notifications increased from six to 17 over the last five years, while the number of informal ones rose by 254%, from 74 to 262.

Nationally, formal notices increased by 29%, and informal ones by 34% compared with five years ago.

Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: "For years, companies and building owners have been allowed to line their pockets by cutting corners and putting people’s lives at risk.

"As the Grenfell Tower fire so tragically exposed, the regulatory system has been gutted by successive governments.

"An increase in fire safety notices is a positive sign, but these amount to a mere slap on the wrist if not accompanied by strict enforcement.

"We need continued investment in fire safety inspectors, and for the Government to commit to rebuilding the regulatory system, to tackle a crisis on this scale."

Failing to comply with an alteration, enforcement or prohibition notice from a fire safety audit can lead to a prosecution.

However, the figures show no audits in Gloucestershire led to prosecutions in the year to March – the most since current records began in 2016-17.

There have been two prosecutions.

Across England, there have been 35 in the year to March.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said fire and rescue services are responsible for making their own enforcement decisions under fire safety legislation.

However they added the Government supports fire and rescue services through the Protection Uplift Grant, which awards additional funds on top of their existing budget.

"The Protection Uplift Grant has contributed to increases in overall capacity of fire protection departments to undertake fire safety audits and other fire safety activity," they said.

"In the financial year 2024-25, £10 million additional funding was provided to FRSs to bolster their fire protection capacity and capability to deliver local Risk Based Inspection Programmes.

"A further £10 million Protection Uplift Grant funding is made available to FRSs this year."