AN inquest has found no-one was to blame for Britain's worst hotel fire for 40 years despite evidence the blaze that killed three people was started deliberately.

The inquest into the deaths at the Penhallow Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, in August 2007 was told by fire experts that it was "most probable" that the blaze was a case of arson.

Detectives still working on the case are also convinced the fire was started deliberately.

However, after four weeks of evidence, Cornwall Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon told the inquest jury that an open verdict was the only option available to them as nobody had been able to say with absolute certainty the fire was started on purpose.

Holidaymakers Joan Harper, 80, Peter Hughes, 43, and his mother, Monica Hughes, 86, all perished in the blaze that ripped through the hotel just after midnight on August 18, 2007.

Mrs Harper's twin sister, Marjorie Brys, managed to escape from the blazing hotel.

Families of the victims spoke of their disappointment at the verdict but said they were satisfied with the evidence heard. They pointed to failings in the hotel's fire safety policy and said better facilities could have saved lives.

John Hughes, brother of Peter and son of Monica, spoke on behalf of the families outside Truro Crown Court yesterday. He said: "I am satisfied with the evidence that has been given, although the resulting open verdict is somewhat disappointing for both families."

Expressing concern over the hotel's fire safety procedure, he added: "From the evidence, we were somewhat surprised to hear the hotel was not compliant with the fire safety order of 2005, particularly regarding its requirements for smoke detectors in all bedrooms.

"We feel that the absence of these smoke detectors could have saved the lives of our loved ones. This was just one of several failings in the hotel's fire safety."

Mr Hughes said his family was considering the possibility of legal action against Holdsworth Hotels.

The inquest had been told the hotel, part of the Holdsworth Hotels group, did not have the required fire safety procedures in place.

Guests giving evidence said the fire alarm could not be heard on the third floor where all of the people who died were staying. Witnesses also spoke of suitcases being left in the corridor overnight.

Hotel staff declined to answer questions about fire safety procedures at the hotel and fire training and drills carried out.

Mr Hughes said: "Many hotels and guesthouses in Cornwall and throughout the UK are quite possibly aware of the fire regulation changes but have not implemented them and are breaking the law."

Dr Carlyon said at the conclusion of the inquest that all hotel and guesthouse owners needed to be reminded of their responsibility to comply with fire safety measures.

She added: "I intend to write to the Minister of Tourism to highlight to her the concerns raised by those at the inquest about the change in fire legislation and to self-regulation and the risk of future deaths, in particular at hotels and guesthouses, if insufficient measures are provided to support the investment in fire safety or to ensure compliance."

Dr Carlyon said the Regulatory Reform Order 2005, which came into force on October 1, 2006, applied to all premises to which members of the public or employees had access. "In particular, one aspect of the order stipulated that they must ensure that their premises have been subject to a fire risk assessment which is reviewed regularly and identify those general fire precautions that need to be put in place."

Nobody from Holdsworth Hotels was available for comment yesterday but the company issued a statement which said: "The fire at the Penhallow Hotel during August 2007 was a tragedy and we appreciate that it must be very distressing to all those affected that after the most detailed investigation and inquest the exact cause cannot be established.

"We continue to express our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragic incident."

Concerns were also raised in the aftermath of the fire over the time taken by fire crews to get to the hotel and the equipment they had available.

Des Tidbury, Cornwall's chief fire officer, said yesterday that the inquest had shown the fire service met the "required standard".

Cornwall's two aerial ladder platforms designed for dealing with fires in tall buildings were out of service on the night of the fire and one had to be brought from Plymouth but experts said the blaze took hold so quickly that the presence of an aerial ladder platform earlier would not have saved lives.

Mr Tidbury said: "The performance of Cornwall's fire and rescue service on the evening of the fire and during the investigation process has been closely scrutinised by some of the country's most eminent fire and rescue experts who concluded that it had met the required standard in all aspects."

The families of the victims of the fire thanked both the fire brigade and the police for their work carried out since August 2007.

Mr Hughes said: "Our mother was witty, bright and intelligent, she could walk short distances and only used the wheelchair for long distances. I am convinced that if she had heard the fire alarm bell ringing on the third floor, she would have got up and waited for Peter, who would then have escorted her to safety.

"I don't want Peter to be remembered as the man who jumped out of the window in a hotel fire, but as the man who bravely stayed behind after everyone had left in an attempt to rescue his mother."