‘Stay Safe, only use a Gas Safe Registered Engineer’ is the message from the Heating & Hotwater Council (HHIC) as it throws its weight behind Gas Safe Register’s campaign to highlight the volume of people being put at risk after using an unqualified and illegal gas fitter.

The local authority must be told when a new or replacement boiler is fitted and the 'building regulations compliance' certificate generated from this registration may be required if and when the home is sold, leaving homeowners at risk if this is not completed by their engineer.

A registered installer will also complete a Benchmark certificate, which registers the appliance with the manufacturer and protects the warranty.

“We are urging homeowners to ‘look for the triangle’ and ask to see the fitters Gas Safe ID card when having any gas appliances serviced or replaced,” said Stewart Clements, Director at HHIC. “The consequences of not doing so could at best prove expensive if warranties are not forthcoming and at worst deadly.”

As part of the campaign, Gas Safe Register is also reminding registered engineers of the importance of ensuring the public know they should always be checking the identification of any gas engineer hired to complete work in their home.