HSE\u2019s Principal Inspector of Gas Safety, Steve Critchlow, said; <\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cGas Safety Week is the right time to remind people just how serious the risks of illegal gas work can be \u2013 and the rising number of convictions of rogue traders carrying out unregistered gas work should be a warning to everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cTemperatures are going down and bills are going up, but cutting corners when it comes to getting your gas appliances properly serviced by a registered professional could be a fatal mistake.<\/p>\n
\u201cUncontrolled gas leaks can cause fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning; and even though the gas industry has an excellent safety record, every tragic incident is one too many.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs people start thinking about their heating ahead of winter, it\u2019s exactly the right time to say: check your engineer is on the Gas Safe Register before you let them anywhere near your gas appliances. If they\u2019re not on the register, don\u2019t let them through the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think you\u2019ve been the victim of a rogue gas trader, report it straight away; HSE can investigate and prosecute unregistered gas fitters who put the public in harm\u2019s way\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
CASE STUDIES: RECENT HSE PROSECUTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\nFraudster faked Gas Safe logo to trade illegally across five homes<\/strong><\/p>\nAlexander Robson advertised his services on social media and with flyers faking the Gas Safe logo, despite not being on the Gas Safe Register. He was sentenced to eight months\u2019 imprisonment, suspended for a period of two years.<\/p>\n
Robson traded under names including GasnHeat Plumberz and North East Renocationz and undertook gas work on boilers and gas fires at five homes in Blyth, Ryton, Hexham, Winlaton and Newcastle. Not only was the work he carried out illegal, it was also sub-standard and endangered the lives of those living in the properties.<\/p>\n
Alexander Robson was caught on one the homeowners Ring doorbell cameras<\/p>\n
Robson had previously been on the Gas Safe Register aligned to various businesses up until 1 February 2024, but continued carrying out work for several months after that was no longer the case.<\/p>\n
One of his victims, 25-year-old Megan Oliver, spoke out about the dangers posed by the likes of Robson, telling people to do their research before hiring people to carry out work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d only just bought my flat and as a first-time home owner, I\u2019d never had to deal with things like gas work,\u201d she said.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cMy mum had put a post on Facebook asking for someone to come and cap off a gas cooker. He replied saying it was something he could do.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cHe demanded half of the money up front but I began to get suspicious as he\u2019d always come to the house late at night to carry out the work.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI remember him saying there were only certain people who are Gas Safe, but it was actually something I\u2019d never even heard of.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI remember him rambling on a lot and me not being able to get a word in.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cIt was only when another company came to fit my new boiler did I find the work he\u2019d done was so poor and that he wasn\u2019t even on the Gas Safe Register.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cWhen I refused to pay him the rest of his money, he became aggressive and abusive and made threats against both me and my parents.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI would tell anyone <\/em>to do their own research on a person before you hire them and make sure they\u2019re a trusted trader and not just from how they appear on Facebook.<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cIt looked it was such a legitimate company \u2013 but it clearly wasn\u2019t.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\nFraudster jailed for endangering elderly homeowner<\/strong><\/p>\nIsrael Jackson, 56, of Sandbach Place, London, was jailed for 12 months at Croydon Crown Court on 4 February 2026 after his dangerous work put the life of a 90-year-old homeowner at risk.<\/p>\n
Jackson was sent by a contracted company to install a new boiler at the elderly man\u2019s home in Croydon in May 2022 after lying about being qualified. He had never been registered with Gas Safe Register \u2014 and this was not his first offence, having been prosecuted by HSE for illegal gas work in 2015.<\/p>\n
Jackson installed the boiler and issued a fraudulent gas safety certificate. When relatives noticed the hot water wasn\u2019t working and smelled gas, a British Gas engineer attended and issued an \u2018immediately dangerous\u2019 notice. Jackson returned the following day, ignored the notice, and put the boiler back into use \u2014 even demanding his taxi fare be paid. It took over a year before another engineer fully replaced the dangerous installation.<\/p>\n
Jackson pleaded guilty to contravening Regulations 3(3) and 3(7) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.<\/p>\n
Family left without heating after illegal work caused three gas leaks<\/strong><\/p>\nLee Lancaster, 38, of New Market Street, Ulverston, was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay \u00a32,000 costs at Barrow-in-Furness Magistrates\u2019 Court on 23 January 2026.<\/p>\n
In February 2024, Lancaster installed a gas combi boiler and pipework at a family home in Ulverston. Shortly after, one of the occupiers smelled gas. Cadent identified three separate gas leaks, and the gas supply was shut off for six weeks \u2014 leaving the family of four without heating or hot water.<\/p>\n
Gas Safe inspectors classified the work as \u2018Immediately Dangerous\u2019. HSE\u2019s investigation found Lancaster held no gas qualifications whatsoever and was not registered with Gas Safe Register.<\/p>\n
Lancaster pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 3(1) and 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.<\/p>\n
About Steve Critchlow<\/strong><\/p>\nSteve Critchlow, HSE\u2019s Principal Inspector Gas Safety, or, has more than 30 years of experience at HSE and is one of the foremost experts in gas safety in the country. As a specialist gas inspector based at HSE\u2019s science centre in Buxton, he is often among the first on scene in the aftermath of explosions and deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, and gives evidence during Coronial proceedings and in prosecution cases. He provides expert technical advice to HSE inspectors and the wider gas industry. This Gas Safety Week, Steve will be speaking at events in the UK and Scottish Parliaments.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nFurther information:<\/strong><\/p>\nHSE is the national regulator responsible for enforcing gas safety legislation in Great Britain. It is also responsible for the Gas Safe Register itself.
\nThe Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 make it illegal for anyone to carry out gas work unless they are registered with Gas Safe Register or working under appropriate supervision.
\nGas Safe Register is the official list of gas engineers legally allowed to work on gas appliances in the UK.
\nSince 2020\/21, HSE has successfully prosecuted 34 defendants for breaches of Regulation 3(1) or 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Since the beginning of 2025, 17 people have been sentenced, compared with 3 in 2022\/23 and 4 in 2023\/24.
\nCarbon monoxide is known as the \u2018silent killer\u2019 because it is colourless and odourless. Symptoms of poisoning include headaches, dizziness, nausea and confusion.
\nGas Safety Week 2026 runs from 14 to 20 September.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Public urged to check Gas Safe Register as new HSE figures released show seventeen people convicted for illegal gas work in the past 18 months alone They include a fraudster who faked the Gas Safe logo to exploit a new homeowner, and a rogue trader whose faulty gas work put a 90-year-old man in danger…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2388\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}