Swindon, Wiltshire & Oxfordshire

Fire Safety Compliance & Maintenance in Lechlade

Fire risk assessments, fire alarm servicing, fire door inspections and alarm monitoring for the shops, pubs, guest accommodation and riverside businesses of Lechlade-on-Thames.

Lechlade sits where the A361 meets the A417, with the River Thames to the south and the River Leach to the east. Its Neighbourhood Plan describes the town's position as the highest navigable point on the Thames and says the river and tourism remain central to its prosperity.

We travel to Lechlade from our head office in Hayes, west on the M4 towards Swindon, then via the A419 and north on the A361. IDS Global was established in 2011 and holds IFSM and FPA membership.

Businesses and buildings in Lechlade

Lechlade is a small town: the 2021 Census recorded 3,139 residents. The Neighbourhood Plan, whose final document is dated July 2016, recorded a town centre of 36 retail units serving local demand and tourism, including two small supermarkets, restaurants and cafes, a bank and post office, several public houses, antique shops and independent butchers, florists and wine shops. The same plan noted limited employment opportunities, with over 1,300 economically active residents commuting to larger towns and 66 businesses registered to residential addresses.

Visitors arrive from Easter through to the autumn, mostly as day trippers drawn to the Riverside Park south of the river, and the plan identified a shortage of good quality visitor accommodation. Lechlade Marina, which describes itself as at the head of the navigable Thames, offers 100 leisure moorings for cruisers, narrowboats and wide beams. Around the town, lakes formed from former gravel workings are part of the Cotswold Water Park.

Fire Risk Assessments in Lechlade

A Lechlade premises may combine a ground-floor shop, pub or restaurant with rooms or a flat above, set within a listed or older stone building. Where that applies, the assessment needs to look at separation between the commercial use and any sleeping accommodation, the condition of escape routes through older layouts, and who controls shared areas.

For holiday lets, guest rooms and bed and breakfast premises, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service states that a fire risk assessment is required and should be reviewed at least annually, or sooner after a significant change or a fire. Our written assessments include a prioritised action plan.

Fire risk assessments

Fire Alarm Servicing in Lechlade

Pubs, shops with accommodation over them and paying guest premises rely on detection to warn people who may be asleep or unfamiliar with the building. GFRS guidance for paying guest accommodation asks owners to make sure equipment is serviced and strongly recommends keeping records.

We service existing fire alarm systems, test detectors, call points and sounders, check the panel and standby batteries, and record the results in your log book. Where a building sits within the riverside flood warning areas, we can also note any panels or devices at low level so you can plan for them after a flood.

Fire alarm servicing

Fire Door Inspections in Lechlade

Where a building around the Market Place or High Street has been converted or altered over time, its doors may have been rehung, trimmed or given replacement hardware. A fire door only protects an escape route if its gaps, seals, closer, hinges and signage are all in order.

Our inspections record each door's condition, photograph defects and give clear remedial actions. In a conservation area, that report also helps you discuss any work that affects the building's appearance with Cotswold District Council before it starts.

Fire door inspections

Alarm Monitoring in Lechlade

If a holiday let, shop or boat-related business stands empty outside the Easter to autumn visitor season, an alarm with nobody to hear it offers little protection. Monitoring connects your existing intruder or fire alarm to a receiving centre so that an activation is acted on even when nobody is on site.

We connect compatible systems, keep keyholder details up to date and confirm that signals reach the centre.

Alarm monitoring

Lechlade Conservation Area and the Market Place

Cotswold District Council designated the Lechlade Conservation Area on 7 July 1971 and reviewed it in 1986, 1990 and 1994. The council's map shows the boundary taking in the Market Place, High Street, Burford Street, Thames Street, Sherborne Street and St John's Street, and running down to the riverside and the marina. The Neighbourhood Plan describes the Market Place as containing an exceptional range of characterful listed buildings, and the Church of St Lawrence, completed in 1476, is Grade I listed. The council notes that Cotswold District has 144 conservation areas, more than any other district authority in England, and that conservation area status can bring extra planning controls on demolition and some external works.

Head of navigation: the marina and St John's Lock

St John's Lock, below the town, is the furthest upstream lock on the River Thames. It is maintained by the Environment Agency and operated by hand. Lechlade Marina offers 100 leisure moorings, a slipway and secure parking. The Neighbourhood Plan notes that the river is busiest in summer with cruisers, narrowboats and small craft.

Thames and Leach flood warning areas

The Environment Agency runs two flood warning areas that name the town: River Thames from Calcutt to Lechlade including Hannington Wick, and River Leach from just below Southrop to Mill Lane near Lechlade including Little Faringdon. A flood warning in these areas means flooding to some property is expected. The Neighbourhood Plan records that land to the west of the town is subject to flooding and that lakes and flood plain lie to the north. For premises in these areas, the fire risk assessment should cover how alarm panels, emergency lighting and escape routes are checked before reopening after water enters the building.

Recorded crime around Lechlade

Lechlade falls within Gloucestershire Constabulary's Fairford and Lechlade neighbourhood. police.uk street-level data for a one-mile radius of the town centre records 138 crimes from February 2025 to January 2026, the latest twelve months for which Gloucestershire data was available when we checked. These included 43 violent crimes, 27 anti-social behaviour incidents, 21 vehicle crimes, 15 other thefts, 13 offences of criminal damage and arson and 10 burglaries. Locations are anonymised, so the figures are approximate.

Services available in Lechlade

Frequently asked questions

I let a holiday cottage in Lechlade. Do I need a fire risk assessment?

Yes. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service states that the Fire Safety Order applies when anyone pays to stay in your premises, other than as a permanent home, and that this covers holiday lets, bed and breakfasts and short-term rentals, even if a room is let only once. You must carry out a fire risk assessment and review it at least annually.

Is there a fire station in Lechlade?

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service's published list of stations does not include one in Lechlade. The service lists a station at Hatherop Road in Fairford, a neighbouring GL7 town, with an on-call crewing type. This does not change your duties under the Fire Safety Order: working detection, clear escape routes and a current fire risk assessment remain the responsible person's job.

Our shop is in the Lechlade Conservation Area. Can a fire door inspection still be done?

Yes. An inspection is a survey of the existing doors and does not alter the building. Cotswold District Council's conservation area guidance notes that some external works, such as replacement doors and windows, may need planning permission where extra controls apply. Our report sets out any defects so that you can decide on repairs and check the planning position before work begins.

Our riverside premises are in a flood warning area. What should we check after a flood?

The Environment Agency's Thames flood warning area for Calcutt to Lechlade means flooding to some property is expected when a warning is issued. After water has entered a building, fire alarm panels, detectors at low level, emergency lighting and extinguishers should be checked before the premises reopen.

Does IDS Global cover the marina and businesses near St John's Lock?

Yes. Across Lechlade we provide fire risk assessments, fire alarm servicing, fire extinguisher servicing, fire door inspections, maintenance of existing CCTV, intruder alarm and access control systems, and alarm monitoring. We reach the town from Hayes via the M4, the A419 and the A361.