An Essex plumber has been sentenced to 140 hours community service after he put the lives of prospective home-owners in danger following illegal gas work on appliances at a home in Tiptree.

Following an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Ryan Ellingford was prosecuted after it was found that he had also illegally issued a landlord gas safety certificate for the work with a false registration number.

On 28 November Southend Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Ellingford, trading as R J Plumbing & Heating, was contracted to check gas appliances on a rental property on Globe Walk immediately prior to it being sold.

He undertook the work despite not being registered with the Gas Safe Register, as the law requires, and issued landlord’s gas safety certificates for a boiler, pipework and a cooker at the premises; indicating that the boiler had been serviced.

However, a subsequent inspection of Mr Ellingford’s work by Gas Safe identified the boiler as ‘Immediately Dangerous’. Mr Ellingford was served with a notification of contravention and a prohibition notice preventing him from undertaking further gas related work whilst unregistered.

He was sentenced to 140 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £339 after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.