A Willenhall man has been sentenced to 80 hours' worth of unpaid work for carrying out illegal and dangerous work on gas boilers at two Stourbridge properties.

Dudley Magistrates’ Court heard on 15 January that Paul Cresswell had failed to correctly fix the flue to a boiler at a flat in Hanbury Court, resulting in a realistic and probable chance of carbon monoxide entering the property.

He also carried out sub-standard work at a house in Vale Street, where the wiring he installed was so dangerous it had the potential for pipes to become live.

Cresswell’s failings came to light following an investigation by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after one of the residents complained to Gas Safe Register.

The investigation found Cresswell, 44, was not registered with Gas Safe and obtained work by providing the managing agents of the properties he worked on with out-of-date registration documents. Cresswell had been registered between 7 July 2011 and 6 July 2012 but allowed his registration to lapse.

He also continued to display Gas Safe signage on his van, falsely indicating he was authorised to work on gas appliances.

Paul Cresswell of Beccles Drive, Willenhall, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 3(3), 3(7), 26(1) and 27(1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 in December 2012 and January 2013. He was ordered to carry out 80 hours’ unpaid work and was told to pay costs of £1,270.

HSE inspector Karl Raw said: “Mr Cresswell knew he was not registered with Gas Safe and that he should not have been carrying out the work. He deliberately misled the property agents who employed him and put the tenants – a young family and a pensioner – at risk of serious injury or even death.”