Father and son sentenced over illegal gas work

An illegal gas worker and his Gas Safe registered father have been ordered to carry out unpaid work and given a community order after working on gas at two houses in Cheshire.

An HSE investigation found that Scott Lodge, 37, fitted a new boiler at two addresses in Northwich in April 2022 and December 2022 despite not being Gas Safe registered.

Chester Magistrates’ Court also heard that Scott’s father Brian, who is a registered gas engineer, signed off the work at one property as being safe although he had not attended and checked the boiler for safety.

When one of the homeowners complained to Gas Safe Register, a qualified engineer inspected the installation and found defects that resulted in the boiler being classified as At Risk and Immediately dangerous. The defects included a lack of support for the chimney/flue system (pictured), which carried the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Scott Lodge, 37, of Adlington Drive, Northwich, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was given a 12-month community order and told to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £2,500 in costs plus £1,460 to one of the affected homeowners.

Brian Lodge, 67, of Merriman Avenue, Knutsford, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was given the same sentence as his son and ordered to pay the same in costs.

Following the hearing, HSE inspector Ian Betley said: “This was a deliberate breach of gas safety legislation by Scott Lodge, who undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do.

“His failures could have led to catastrophic and tragic consequences for the homeowners. To make matters worse, Brian Lodge knowingly signed off the work as safe, despite not examining or testing it.”