23 Feb 2012
A man has been given a 22-week curfew order and made to pay £450 after inspecting gas work at an Indian restaurant when he was not qualified to do so.
Timothy Smith from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, issued the owner of Raja Balti restaurant in North Street, Winchcombe, with a gas safety inspection report and certificate. He did this after inspecting and testing gas pipework and appliances between October 25 and November 2 2010.
To make his work seem authentic he falsified his documentation to include the number of a registered business with a similar trading name. He further conned the restaurant owner by using the ID card number of a registered engineer with the surname Smith.
But his deception was uncovered when enquiries were made with the Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are registered to work safely and legally on gas appliances in the UK, Isle of Man and Guernsey.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution found Mr Smith, of Queen’s Road, Tewkesbury, was not suitably qualified to undertake the work he carried out. Gloucestershire Magistrates’ Court heard he was not registered with Gas Safe
The court was also told Mr Smith did not hold the correct competencies to carry out the work.
Smith pleaded guilty to contravening 3 (3) and 3 (7) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
Copyright Press Association 2012