A landlord in Wigan has received a 150-hour community service order for falsifying the dates on an annual gas safety check certificate to pretend that it was still valid.

The Health & Safety Executive took legal action against Terence McBride after it discovered he had changed the dates on the record. On 13 April, Trafford Magistrates' Court heard his tenant had contacted the authorities after suspecting a carbon monoxide leak at the house. A National Grid engineer visited the property and sealed off the gas supply after finding a leak.

The court was told McBride had arranged a gas safety check at the house through his letting agents in April 2009, which expired a year later. When he decided to hire a new agent in April 2011, he provided a copy of the gas safety document with the dates altered so that it appeared to still be current.

McBride pleaded guilty to a breach of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 by failing to arrange an annual gas safety check. McBride, from Ashton-in-Makerfield, received a community order requiring him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in the next 12 months. He was also ordered to pay £600 towards the cost of the prosecution.