The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted the senior partner of a Crawley building firm for carrying out illegal and incompetent work on gas fittings and exposing a local family to the dangers of fire or explosion.

Sunil Vadher was one of two brothers running SR Brothers building firm, which had been hired to build an extension at a family home in Broadfield, Crawley. As part of the contract the brothers carried out gas work involving the installation of a new boiler and pipework for a gas cooker.

There were several problems with the boiler and the family decided to have the gas installations checked after SR Brothers had stopped their construction work at the property.

An inspection by Gas Safe Register found two defects classed as ‘immediate risk’, four ‘at risk’ and a further six that were found to be below current standards.

The findings were passed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and on 23 July Mr Vadher was prosecuted for three breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 committed between July 2013 and February 2014.

Crawley Magistrates heard the Gas Safe investigator had isolated the family’s gas supply as some of the work carried out left it too risky to use. HSE issued a prohibition notice on both the brothers preventing either from carrying out any gas work until they were competent and Gas Safe-registered.

HSE told the court that although SR Brothers was a partnership, Sunil Vadher was effectively in charge.

Mr Vadher was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £870 in costs after admitting the four offences.