The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a plumber from Somerset who falsely claimed to be Gas Safe registered and left a boiler he installed in a dangerous condition.

On 1 July, Yeovil Magistrates Court heard that Ian Gardiner, trading as Ian Gardiner Plumbing & Heating Services, provided a householder in Yeovil with a quote to install a gas-fired central heating system on headed paper with a Gas Safe Register logo. On completion of the work he also provided further paperwork, including a gas boiler system commissioning checklist, which included a Gas Safe Register number.

A Regional Investigations Officer employed by Gas Safe inspected the property in October 2013 and identified nine defects in the way the central heating system had been installed, three of which constituted a danger to life or property. Firstly, the chimney flue assembly had not been sealed to the structure of the building following the installation and nor was it sealed on internal and external walls. Secondly, the telescopic chimney flue assembly on the boiler was not fixed at the required length and the telescopic joint within the cavity wall was not sealed with aluminium tape in line with the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Finally, the flue had not been installed to satisfy the appliance manufacturer’s instructions.

The HSE investigation found that Mr Gardiner’s Gas Safe registration had expired on 18 May 2010 and that the Gas Safe Register number he had provided belonged to an unconnected engineer who had not given permission for his registration number to be used and had no knowledge of the installation.

Mr Gardiner was fined £2,100 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs and £125 in compensation after pleading guilty to five breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.