A decorative image showing a judge with a gavill

Illegal gas work left danger in Devon home

A Devon property maintenance contractor has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service after arranging for gas work to be carried out by unregistered contractors who left it in a dangerous condition.

Exeter Crown Court heard that Nigel Burrough, the sole director of Collier Property Management, quoted for a kitchen refit, which included removing an old gas boiler and fitting a new gas boiler and hob. The work was carried out in August 2017 said HSE, prosecuting, and Mr Burrough used various contractors. The person who fitted the boiler was not Gas Safe registered and HSE found no record that he ever had been. HSE has not been able to trace him and it is understood that he may have left the country.

Mr Burrough failed to provide the commissioning documents for the new boiler. Only after nine requests, and 46 days after the boiler was left working but not commissioned, did he reply to the homeowners, and arranged for a landlord’s gas safety record check to take place, despite the fact that this is a visual check and does not include any of the necessary commissioning tests.

The homeowners experienced issues with the boiler and again tried to contact Mr Burrough but did not receive a satisfactory response. They arranged for Gas Safe Register to inspect the work, whose investigations officer classified it as Immediately Dangerous. There was no access panel to allow inspection of the flue, and there were also a number of At Risk defects on the boiler and hob.

Nigel Burrough of Hockworthy, near Wellington, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 as amended, and Regulation 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid community work and ordered to pay costs of £4,500.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Simon Jones said: “Mr Burrough was in control of unregistered gas work. As a property professional, he knew full well that gas work must be undertaken by a member of Gas Safe Register. But despite this, he put the homeowners at serious risk by using a completely unqualified person to undertake his gas work.”

Related Articles