The Health and Safety Executive has prosecuted a Torquay landlord who illegally carried out annual gas safety checks at his properties despite not being a registered gas engineer.

On 19 March Torquay Magistrates Court heard that Raymond Williams potentially put his tenants’ lives at risk by carrying out the statutory safety checks himself between April 2013 and October 2014. He also fraudulently filled out landlord’s gas safety documents using a fake Gas Safe Register number.

His work was investigated following a complaint from one of his tenants.

The court heard that Mr Williams carried out his own safety checks at five properties in Torquay and one in Newton Abbott.

Mr Williams pleaded guilty to four breaches of gas safety legislation and was fined a total of £12,000 and ordered to pay £418 in costs.