Banned gas fitter left dangerous work in Scottish cities

An illegal gas worker has been prosecuted after he left work in a dangerous condition in Glasgow and Edinburgh and falsely claimed to be Gas Safe registered.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that Syed Hussain, from Motherwell, had been given a Prohibition Order by HSE in September 2020 that banned him from carrying out gas work until he became registered. But he ignored the order and continued to work.

Between May 2019 and February 2024, he worked at several properties in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The court heard that he “culpably and recklessly” undertook the installation and fitting of gas boilers and gas service pipework, leaving them in an Immediately Dangerous and defective condition.

Mr Hussain falsely claimed to be registered by using the number of a genuine gas engineer.

He pleaded guilty to breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The court ordered him to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and tagged him for 12 months, requiring him to stay indoors from 7pm to 7am.