A gas fitter from Norfolk has been jailed after carrying out unsafe gas work in a residential property while suspended from the Gas Safe Register.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that 52-year-old Antony Clifton, from Wymondham, had fitted a cooker at the home in Drayton that left gas leaking from the inlet, requiring emergency work.
Clifton undertook the work in January 2022 while falsely claiming to be a member of the Gas Safe Register. He had previously been served with a prohibition notice by HSE following unsafe gas work.
All gas engineers in the UK are required by law to be on the Gas Safe Register before carrying out gas work.
Clifton, a director of the now dissolved CS Appliance Repairs Ltd, was sentenced to 46 weeks in custody after pleading guilty to breaching Regulations 3(7) and 5(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) 1998 Regulations at a hearing at Great Yarmouth Magistrates Court on 14 July 2025.
He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.
HSE inspector Martyn Webb said: “Antony Clifton knew that he was not registered and should not carry out any gas work. However, he showed a blatant disregard to this fact, and his illegal actions meant the people living in that house could have been killed.
“Homeowners and tenants should check for Gas Safe registration before allowing work to commence on their appliances and refuse entry to individuals who cannot prove they are registered.”
