Illegal gas fitters: 'I couldn't believe it... he'd torn my kitchen apart'

GLASGOW mum Helen Forrest-Lloyd learnt the hard way of the folly of using a gas fitter on family recommendation alone, without checking out his credentials.

She said: "We were having a couple of problems with the temperature on the boiler. My mum said, 'I know this guy who did some plumbing work for me, why don't you give him a call'."

His business card described him as a plumber and gas installer, so she thought he would be adequately trained.

Helen said: "As soon as he walked into the room, he said 'I can tell straight away what is wrong here, you've got a gas leak. And the first thing I'm going to do is condemn the boiler.'"

He went on to ask if Helen and her son had been suffering from headaches or feeling nauseous. "I thought this was all very strange, because you can't smell or see carbon monoxide, so how could he be so sure just by entering the kitchen that this was the problem.

"Next he insisted I take my son down to the hospital for a carbon monoxide test. I said surely that isn't necessary, but he wouldn't let us stay, so we went down to the hospital to have the test, which is actually very painful."

Helen was now becoming very suspicious about what was going on. But that was nothing to her horror when she returned to her flat.

"I couldn't believe it. He had ripped the kitchen apart, blown up three radiators and demolished my carpets. There were holes everywhere in the kitchen wall."

By now there was little Helen could do but let him finish the job. He fitted a new boiler, and five days later arrived at her door at 9.30am with a test certificate saying the new boiler had been properly fitted and tested that day.

She said: "This was clearly fraud because he hadn't set foot in my flat that day. But when I looked at the certificate, it wasn't his name. Someone else's name was on it, saying this other person had carried out the work, which they had not."

Helen was astounded and contacted the Gas Safe Register to check he was qualified to carry out the work, only to discover there was no record of him on the register.

Gas Safe sent an inspector to check the work. He found nine gas leaks and condemned the boiler immediately. He also spotted that the wires from the previous boiler had been left in place and were still live.

The final shock for Helen was to discover that this fitter was known to the Gas Safe Register and had been warned two years previously not to carry out gas work. A prosecution is now being prepared.

For Helen it was an experience she will never forget. "The shambles left behind in the kitchen was unbelievable. But I learnt a good lesson. I will never employ a gas fitter without checking out his credentials in full."