A Plymouth landlord has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for risking the lives of a young mother and her child, by providing a dangerous gas oven installed in the house.

Giles Boardman was prosecuted at Plymouth Magistrates on 29 August following an investigation.

The HSE began inquiries when Plymouth City Council alerted them to the lack of a gas safety certificate for the property in Dickiemoor Lane. The council had asked him to provide a certificate on several occasions.

An Improvement Notice was served on Mr Boardman, requiring him to provide a landlords’ gas safety check, but this had not been done by the notice expiry date.

In April, 2014, an engineer called in by Mr Boardman, found problems with the gas controls that controlled the gas flow for oven and notified HSE. The oven was classified by the Gas Safe registered engineer as Immediately Dangerous, meaning if operated or left connected to the gas supply it could cause an immediate danger to life or property. The oven has now been replaced.

Mr Boardman pleaded guilty to two breaches of gas safety regulations and a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act. He was fined a total of £4,050 and ordered to pay costs of £513.