A man based in Willenhall has been prosecuted following illegal gas works which put homeowners at risk of injury or death, making clear the importance of employing a qualified gas fitter to carry out any works in the home.
Mr Paul Creswell carried out work on a boiler at a flat in Hanbury Court in the town, which was later found to be extremely dangerous.
He had failed to fix the flue to the boiler correctly, meaning that there was a high chance of carbon monoxide leaking from the boiler, which can cause death. He also carried out dangerous work at a house in Vale Street, where he installed wiring that was later found to be so dangerous that it could have made the pipes in the house live.
The dangerous and illegal gas and electrical work carried out by Mr Creswell was realised when the Health and Safety Executive carried out an investigation following a complaint made by one of the residents to Gas Safe Register.
Mr Creswell had not registered with Gas Safe, which anyone carrying out gas work is required by law to do, and had also obtained work by using out-of-date registration documents. He also had Gas Safe signage on his van, implying that he was still registered when in fact he was not.
Mr Creswell pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 3(3), 3(7), 26(1) and 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 in December 2012 and January 2013 and was told to pay costs of