CIPHE has issued a warning about the dangers of illegal, unqualified gas work after an Ipswich plumber was found guilty of carrying out illegal work at a Thai restaurant.

A plumber from Ipswich has been sentenced to 100 hours community service having been found guilty of performing illegal work on gas appliances at a Thai restaurant.

The CIPHE chief executive officer, Kevin Wellman, said: “Industry professionals will rightly be appalled by this plumber’s actions. But clearly there are some uneducated or arrogant enough who believe it’s OK to do gas work without the correct qualifications and registration.”

It is a legal requirement for anyone wishing to work with gas appliances to be registered with Gas Safe Register. Only those with suitable qualifications and experience can obtain the registration.

Wellman added: “The cost of illegal gas work isn’t always measured in pounds or hours of community service or time in jail. It is often measured in lives and the risk to public health. There is a further cost to the reputation of our industry and those who represent it. Professional plumbers and heating engineers should be vigilant against illegal workers and keep their own qualifications and registration up to date.”

The CIPHE checks the qualifications of all its registrants and only allows Gas Safe registered workers onto its directory of gas engineers and installers.