jan's story warns against illegal gas work

In 2007, Jan decided to have an LPG gas fire put in her dining room. A gas fitter working as an operative for a registered business quoted them for the fire installation on behalf of the business, and then had a word in her ear that he could do it cheaper as a “foreigner”. Wanting to save money and believing he was registered privately Jan chose him for the work.

Soon after the installation, Jan began having terrible heavy nosebleeds and severe headaches, both of which were a mystery to her doctor. Little did she know that they were possible symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Jan then started noticing a blackening of the brickwork on the fireplace. After contacting a different engineer, a full investigation revealed the gas fire was fitted badly and had many dangerous faults. Like most people, Jan assumed the fitter was registered and able to work privately because he was registered to work on jobs under another business. He was in fact working illegally.

Jan said:

The children were playing in the house when he was doing the work. He seems to have no conscience about the repercussions of his substandard work and could have killed us.”

Dangerous gas work can be deadly. Only use a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Better Gas Safe than sorry. Always check the card.

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