LANTERNS HANGING TOO LOW, BLOCKING ROUTE

While inspecting a hardware-cum-provision shop in Bukit Panjang Centre, Cooperative of Singapore Civil Defence Force Employees (Cosem) enforcement officer Dawood Selamat found a string of lanterns hung so low that it obstructed a passageway which could serve as an escape route in the event of a fire. This was one of the reasons this shop received a summons from the officers.

BOXES AND CARTONS GET IN THE WAY

The front of this shop in Dunlop Street was chock-a-block with cartons of vegetables and dried goods, leaving only a narrow passageway. They even blocked the entrance to a staircase. An employee said: 'We have to offer many types of goods to remain competitive.' She added that the premises were covered by fire insurance and inspected regularly by the authorities.

DISPLAYS CLUTTER UP WALKWAYS

When told that there was talk that fines could be raised for shop owners with cluttered shopfronts, the owner of this Geylang Serai shop said she placed goods outside her shop only during the run-up to festive periods like Ramadan.

But security guard Jefri Ali, 42, who lives nearby, said shops there blocked the walkways with shelves and goods all year round.

STAIRCASE AS STOREROOM

A restaurant off Serangoon Road used a staircase to store cans of cooking oil and sacks of flour. These goods blocked half of the metre-wide staircase. The owner, 38, said: 'We do it only over the weekend and the people living upstairs have space to move.'

Asked what would happen if a fire broke out, he said his staff were 'very careful'.