A plumber has sentenced to 140 hours community service after carrying out illegal gas work on appliances at a property in Tiptree, Essex.

Ryan Ellingford, 30, was prosecuted after an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found he had also illegally issued a landlord gas safety certificate for the work with a false registration number.

Southend Magistrates' Court heard that Mr Ellingford, trading as R J Plumbing & Heating, was contracted to check gas appliances on a rental property on Globe Walk immediately prior to it being sold.

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He undertook the work despite not being registered with the Gas Safe Register, as the law requires, and issued landlord's gas safety certificates for a boiler, pipework and a cooker at the premises; indicating that the boiler had been serviced.

However, a subsequent inspection of Mr Ellingford's work by Gas Safe identified the boiler as 'Immediately Dangerous'. Mr Ellingford was served with a notification of contravention and a prohibition notice preventing him from undertaking further gas related work whilst unregistered.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £339 after pleading guilty to two breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

(CD/JP)