09/12/2010 - Plumber fined over gas safety con
A Middlesex plumber who put his customers at risk by illegally working on domestic gas appliances has been fined £2,500.
Tony MacTaggart (who also trades as TJM Heating and Plumbing) of Enfield, Middlesex, told homeowners he was registered with compulsory registration scheme Gas Safe, despite this not being the case.
A probe by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) discovered that he had installed a gas boiler in Cranleigh Close, Cheshunt, between October and November 2009.
Hertford Magistrates' Court was told that the homeowners then complained about his work to Gas Safe, who found the boiler in a dangerous condition when they visited the property.
The Gas Safe engineer disconnected the boiler and alerted the HSE to MacTaggart's deception.
HSE found he had been claiming to be Gas Safe registered, carrying out work and then tricking registered engineers into signing off the installations by asking them to carry out annual gas safety inspections.
MacTaggart admitted breaching Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998. Along with the fine he was ordered to pay full costs of £902 plus a victim surcharge of £15.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
Related links
|
