Fire dampers that were meant to be fitted at a Lanarkshire care home where 14 residents died in a fire were never put in place, an inquiry heard this week.

Those responsible at Rosepark care home in Uddingston were not aware of a problem because inspections had not been carried out, a probe into the tragedy has found.

It is the latest in a Fatal Accident Inquiry  into the 2004 fire, which caused injuries to four elderly residents as well as the 14 deaths. It is thought to have started in a cupboard.

Hamilton Sheriff  Court, hosted by the Gospel Literature Outreach Centre in Motherwell, heard that fire dampers had been written into the building’s architectural plans but were not fitted.  According to a report by the Herald Scotland, the engineer responsible had never heard of fire dampers.

Norman McDonald, an expert in fire dampers, told the inquiry that checks on the passive fire protection devices needed to be made every six to 12 months.

An attempt to prosecute the home's directors, Thomas, Anne and Alan Balmer, over alleged incompetence and safety breaches, collapsed in 2007. A second indictment, served in 2008, was also dropped. The inquiry is expected to last between four and six months.