A drunk offshore worker flooded three floors of an Elgin hotel, causing water to pour through light fittings and trigger more than 100 fire alarm faults.
Ben Pirie left his room to pick up a takeaway but had forgotten to switch off his shower, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
The plug hole then became blocked by a falling towel and the chaos that followed left the Coxton Park Travelodge overwhelmed with running water.
The 37-year-old’s reckless actions left the entire building’s fire alarm system non-operational and caused extensive damage to walls and carpets.
When the nightmare hotel guest returned to the waterlogged scene, where safety alarms were blaring, he learned that he was “no longer welcome at the establishment”.
‘Water flowing from light fittings, fixtures and plugs’
The multimillion-pound Elgin Travelodge was opened in October 2020 to celebrate the firm’s 35th milestone birthday.
Fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh explained that hotel staff were alerted to issues in room 218 after the fire alarm was triggered around 6pm on February 12 last year.
She said they found Pirie’s room carpet “completely saturated” and saw a fallen towel blocking the still-running shower’s plug hole.
The entire fire system had been overwhelmed by more than 100 faults that the flood had triggered, leaving the entire 61-room hotel at Elgin Gateway Business Park unsafe.
“Staff members observed the carpet was saturated in water and the shower basin was flooded with water flowing over the top,” the fiscal said.
Pirie, who had booked a two-night stay in room 218, meanwhile, had travelled by taxi to collect a takeaway.
He returned around 6pm, surprised to find he was “no longer welcome” at the hotel on the outskirts of Elgin.
“Staff members contacted police and then attended at rooms 118, 11 and 10. All three rooms had extensive water damage to their carpets and walls,” the fiscal added.
“It was observed water was flowing from lights fittings, fixtures and plugs.
“Due to the water flowing between the three floors, the fire alarm system for the building became faulty, setting off various alarms throughout the building and causing in excess of 100 faults on the system – rendering the whole system non-operational.
“This left the building unsafe,” she said.
Whole hotel was deemed unsafe
Pirie admitted a charge amended from malicious vandalism to culpable conduct.
Defence agent Ben Thom said his client’s behaviour was “reckless whilst under the influence of alcohol”.
He explained the father-of-two had been drinking in his room during his stay and had thought he could book a taxi to collect and bring him a takeaway from town.
He ran a shower as he waited but when the taxi driver turned up, he was told that if he wanted his order collected, he had to travel with the taxi.
Pirie duly jumped in – forgetting he had left a shower running and not realising that a towel was somehow blocking the plug hole.
“He returned and was very shocked to be advised that the water was overflowing,” Mr Thom added.
“He appreciated the alarms were going off, there was water damage and he was and is no longer welcome at the establishment.
“It’s a matter of deep regret for Mr Pirie.”
Mr Thom added that Pirie was “very ashamed to have come before the court, having caused such upheaval” and that he felt the hotel should be recompensated.
Sheriff Eric Brown voiced his disbelief that the damage could have been repaired for just £653.
But Mr Thom said it perhaps “looked worse than it was” and said that the cost of the damage put before the court was not to be questioned.
Sheriff Brown ordered Pirie, of Yesnabey, Miltonduff, to pay the hotel back £653 in compensation and pay a further fine of £210.
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