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.


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)