A Wembley-based building company has been fined £15,000 after leaving customers "at risk of serious illness or death" from exposure to carbon monoxide.

A Wembley-based building company has been fined £15,000 after leaving customers "at risk of serious illness or death" from exposure to carbon monoxide (CO), the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has reported.

Rushi Construction, owned by Vikas Patel, was enlisted to build an extension to a property in Buckinghamshire. Part of the extension was built around the flue outlet of a gas boiler.

Upon its investigations, the HSE discovered the gas-fitting work was not carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

In the event of Patel using a sewage pipe and a washing machine vent hose to extend the flue outlet across the extension and through the window without success, harmful CO gases were released into the house.

HSE inspector Stephen Manley said: "Mr. Patel's clients could have died because of the unsafe situation he created in their home."

Manley described Patel's actions as a "blatant disregard of regulations, guidance and common sense".