The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning of the need to ensure that gas boilers are serviced and checked regularly by authorised engineers following the prosecution of a Worcester landlord.

Tenants at a house in Wylds Lane, Worcester, were taken to hospital on 16 March 2008 suffering from suspected exposure to carbon monoxide after complaining about the smell of fumes coming from the gas boiler.

Landlord of the property, Shazad Ishaq, who also lives in Wylds Lane but at a different address, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulations 36(2)(a) and 36(6)(b) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was fined a total of £2,500 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs by Worcester Magistrates.

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The court heard that before the family was evacuated, a National Grid engineer identified a flue gas spillage and the gas supply to the boiler and cooker hob was disconnected. The HSE identified inadequate air supply to the boiler which was housed in a kitchen cupboard, inadequate cleaning and maintenance of the boiler, particularly the filters, visual signs of soot and flue gas spillage on the inside of the cupboard and boiler casing and that the flue was 'not to current standards'.

HSE Inspector Janice Willets said: "The gas inspector's investigation concluded that no maintenance or cleaning work appeared to have been carried out on the boiler for a considerable period prior to the incident. Further investigations also showed a landlord's gas safety certificate had not been made available to the tenant for several months.

"There is a duty on landlords to maintain gas appliances in safe condition for use by their tenants and ensure their certificates are up to date. Mr Ishaq failed to do either of these things."

(CD/JM)