A builder from Suffolk has been fined after carrying out illegal and dangerous gas and electrical work at a home in Ringshall.
David Liptrott from Stonham, near Stowmarket, was hired to extend a kitchen and replace an LPG-fired boiler at a house in Charles Tye, near Ringshall, in 2013. He undertook the work even though he was not registered with the Gas Safe Register, as required by law, or competent to do so.
On 7 July Ipswich Crown Court heard that when the contract for the work was agreed, Mr Liptrott claimed to be trading as a limited company, DPB Building services.co.uk Ltd, when, in fact, this company had been dissolved in December 2012.
As a part of the building work, Mr Liptrott removed the old boiler and fitted a new boiler with the help of his son. The homeowners became concerned by the poor standard of work and safety of the new boiler and raised complaints with Trading Standards officers as well as with Gas Safe Register.
The boiler was examined by an investigator from Gas Safe Register and found to be leaking gas. It was classified as ‘Immediately Dangerous’ and numerous other ‘At Risk’ faults were also recorded.
Further investigations by HSE and Trading Standards found that in addition to the unsafe gas work there was evidence of unsafe and dangerous electrical work.
The court heard that in 2008, trading as D Liptrott & Sons, David Liptrott had also been the subject of a CORGI report and received a written warning from HSE for carrying out unregistered gas work at an address in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
Mr Liptrott was sentenced to nine months imprisonment, suspended for 15 months and ordered to pay costs of £16,000 after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act, and one breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
In addition, he was ordered to pay his victims £27,490 compensation within a period of 12 months or face a default sentence of 15 months imprisonment.
After the case, HSE Inspector Anthony Brookes said: “Having been previously warned about undertaking gas work when unregistered, David Liptrott should have known better than to accept a job he was not qualified, competent, or legally allowed to do.'
He added: 'This prosecution shows the willingness of enforcement agencies to work together to bring unscrupulous traders that put safety at risk to justice.”