Two men have been prosecuted over illegal gas work that endangered lives at a hotel in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire.

James Outtridge was prosecuted after an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) found work on several gas appliances he had overseen, left them ‘At Risk’. Scott Wilson was prosecuted for carrying out illegal gas work under Mr Outtridge’s supervision on one occasion, also leaving appliances ‘At Risk’.

On 10 February Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court heard that Mr Outtridge was asked by the hotel landlord to install a gas-fired hot water boiler at The Railway Hotel in Sawbridgeworth in November 2013.

Mr Outtridge arranged for the boiler to be installed by a gas fitter who was not registered with Gas Safe Register to carry out private gas work, as the law requires. This boiler was later found to have been left ‘At Risk’.

Following a Food Hygiene inspection by an Environmental Health Officer (EHO), Mr Outtridge was then asked to arrange for important gas safety checks to be carried out on the gas appliances at the hotel. Again Mr Outtridge failed to use a Gas Safe registered engineer and the landlord was supplied with a fraudulent report reassuring him that his appliances were safe to use.

When the report was found by the EHO to be fraudulent, Mr Outtridge arranged for Scott Wilson to repeat these safety checks. But Mr Wilson was not Gas Safe registered to carry out private gas work either.

Mr Outtridge was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid community service, with the bench describing him as ‘highly culpable’. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1,300 and a £60 victim surcharge for three breaches of Regulation 4 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

Mr Wilson was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £611 in costs plus a £120 victim surcharge for breaches of Regulation 3(1) and Regulation 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.