Struck-off fitter continued to work on gas illegally

An illegal gas fitter who had been struck off the Register 10 years ago has given a suspended prison sentence after working illegally and leaving properties in a dangerous condition.

Bradley Willis-Chambers, 47, removed boilers at homes in Southsea and Tipner in Hampshire between 2021 and 2022. In one home, he left a single parent with a young daughter without a working hot water appliance for an extended period, and in the second a young couple in their first home were left facing costly repairs.

Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard that, following the removal of the old boilers and installation of new ones at both properties, concerns were raised with the Gas Safe Register about the installations and non-working parts.

The HSE investigation found that Bradley Willis-Chambers was not registered and had previously been subject to HSE enforcement action in 2012 for working on gas illegally. He later became Gas Safe registered but was struck off in 2016 for failure to demonstrate competence, rectify defects and comply with registration rules. He had not been registered since then.

The property owners described the effects of the illegal gas work as being “misled at every stage”. They said the whole experience was an ordeal that “impacted not just… personal life, but also … work and relationships”, leaving them in an unfinished home and “still working to manage the debt” incurred, with the “emotional and financial toll” affecting them every day.

Bradley Willis-Chambers, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty on the morning of trial to four counts of breaching Regulation 3(3) and Regulation 5(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court and was committed for sentence to Portsmouth Crown Court.

Finding there had been a “flagrant disregard for the law”, His Honour Judge Newton-Price KC sentenced him to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, and imposed a requirement to complete 180 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £600 compensation to each of the victims in this case, along with the victim surcharge.

Alongside the HSE investigation, a Portsmouth City Council Trading Standards investigation found Bradley Willis-Chambers guilty of fraudulent trading against four victims during the same period. He is now subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order. 

HSE inspector Francesca Arnold said: “Bradley Willis-Chambers carried out illegal and dangerous gas work which he knew he was not registered to do.

“His failures could have led to catastrophic and tragic consequences for the homeowners, putting the lives of the homeowners and their children at risk.”