Unregistered gas engineer handed suspended jail sentence

A Middlesbrough man has received a suspended prison sentence after carrying out gas work illegally.

Neil Burton had previously been Gas Safe registered, but his registration and qualifications lapsed in February 2021. Despite this, he carried out boiler services in Stockton-on-Tees in May 2021 and April 2022, where a review of the boiler identified both At Risk and Immediately Dangerous defects.

An investigation by Health and Safety Executive revealed further illegal gas work in Middlesbrough in 2022 and 2023. The work included disconnecting a gas hob and installing a new one, as well as disconnecting a gas fire. As in Stockton-on-Tees, he carried out this work while not registered. Burton had also been issued a Prohibition Notice in 2015 for undertaking gas work while not competent and not registered.

Burton pleaded guilty to breaching the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Teesside Magistrates’ Court sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and 150 hours of unpaid work.