There can be few things more annoying than the banshee-like wail of a domestic burglar alarm going off in the early hours of the morning. But if that alarm helps to protect a property or person from attack, then most of us will feel the disruption to our sleep has been worth it.

However, if that alarm has been accidentally triggered by the wind or an animal or just a fault in the system, and there is no-one around to turn it off or re-set it, it can become a real and genuine nuisance.

Imagine, then, how much worse it must be if a faulty fire alarm is attached to a business and, when it goes off, it automatically alerts hard-pressed fire crews who are then forced into urgent action for no reason at all.

If that keeps happening at the same business it should be no surprise if the fire brigade decide they must do something to stop it. That is exactly what has happened in West Yorkshire and this week fire chiefs are expected to approve a plan to charge firms £350 if they generate more than three false alarms in 12 months.

Not surprisingly, businesses feel this is unfair, especially if the cause is faulty equipment beyond their control. But if firms want this level of protection they have to play their part by not skimping on the quality of equipment and by putting pressure on their suppliers to provide fault-free alarms.

After all, one of these days a person may die in a blazing building because fire crews were answering a faulty business alarm and couldn’t get to the real emergency in time. And who will pick up the tab then?