A Cornwall-based gas fitter has been prosecuted after he carried out illegal work which put the lives of homeowners at risk.
Ben Littleton, 24, from Fowey, was not Gas Safe registered, but took on a job to install a boiler at a local home in March of last year. As he was not registered, it was illegal for him to carry out the work.
Following the installation of the boiler, Mr Littleton's work was checked over by a registered gas engineer, who said that the boiler was in the “at risk” category and alerted the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The HSE carried out an investigation and found that Mr Littleton had also installed another boiler at a property, as well as carried out safety checks for landlords at two properties illegally. He was found to have faked safety documents by making use of a Gas Safe Register ID number owned by a firm that had previously employed him.
One of the boilers he fitted was found to have a flue that had been incorrectly sealed, meaning that gases could have re-entered the property, posing a risk to the occupants.
Mr Littleton was prosecuted by the HSE and pleaded guilty to three breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and was fined a total of