A cowboy dealer installed a water heater in a Cheshire home so badly it could have killed the homeowners.
Robert Allen, a self-employed contractor trading as A&E Property Services, lied about being registered for Gas Safe and provided a false registration number before seriously screwing up a boiler replacement job at a Winsford home.
Crewe Magistrates’ Court heard a series of problems emerged, including loss of water pressure and water leaks in June 2019 after Allen replaced the boiler.
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Two months later, a Gas Safe registered technician visited the home and discovered several serious problems with the installation.
One problem was an undersized pipe, which they said posed an “imminent hazard”.
The case was reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and an investigation found that HSE Allen had never been Gas Safe Registered.
It was also determined that Allen provided himself with an incorrect registration number and also used the registration number of an unaffiliated company.
Inspection of the work being carried out at Ledward Street in Winsford found five distinct serious defects including an unsealed chimney, an improperly positioned pressure relief valve, undersized gas lines, an appliance not in service and corrosion on the gas lines.
These defects could have resulted in carbon monoxide leakage, scalding, unsafe combustion, and unburned gas release, which could prove fatal.
Mr Allen, of Nixon Drive in Winsford, was sentenced to a 40-week suspended sentence, 200 hours of community service and to pay costs of £5,263.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Ian Betley said: “This case underscores the dangers of undertaking unregistered gas work.
“All gas work must be carried out by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are maintained to prevent injury and death.
“Installers will be prosecuted if they carry out gas work without proper qualifications.
“Homeowners should verify that anyone they allow to work on the gas supply is safely registered for gas.”
