A Gloucestershire man has been prosecuted for carrying out remedial
gas work at a restaurant in Cheltenham while falsely claiming to be
registered with Gas Safe Register.
Timothy Smith from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, inspected and tested gas pipework and appliances and issued the owner of the Raja Balti restaurant in North Street, Winchcombe, with a gas safety inspection report and certificate.
However, during the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, Gloucestershire Magistrates' Court heard he was not suitably qualified to undertake the work he carried out at the restaurant between 25 October and 2 November 2010.
After the work was complete, enquiries were made with Gas Safe Register, and it was discovered Mr Smith had falsified his documentation to include the number of a registered business with a similar trading name and also used the ID card number of a registered engineer with the same surname.
The court was told Mr Smith did not hold the correct competencies to carry out the work, was not registered with Gas Safe, and purposefully went out of his way to make it appear as if he was a registered engineer.
Timothy Charles Smith of Queen's Road, Tewkesbury, was charged with contravening 3 (3) and 3 (7) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He pleaded guilty and was given a 22 week curfew order and ordered to pay costs of £450.