Hotel where man fell down lift shaft forced to close

An Orkney hotel where a pensioner fell down a lift shaft has been forced to close.

The 83-year-old guest was taken to hospital after the incident at The Stromness Hotel on Friday evening.

It is believed the man has since been released from hospital.

A prohibition notice was later served on the property by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). It is understood this was separate to the incident involving the hotel guest.

David McGroarty, the SFRS group commander covering Orkney, confirmed that a prohibition notice was issued to the owners of The Stromness Hotel on Saturday.

“This follows more than two years of engagement in relation to a number of fire safety deficiencies which had previously been identified," he said.

He added that the prohibition notice would remain in effect "until all matters giving rise to the risk posed by the premises are rectified".

The hotel said in a statement it had "unfortunately been forced to close", and that it was not yet known when it would reopen.