A company has been fined £6,000 after allowing an non Gas Safe Registered employee to fit a boiler at a home in Maldon.

N Murray and Sons Ltd were brought before the Chelmsford Crown Court accused of breaching gas safety regulations.

The firm had been contracted to install two boilers at properties in Essex in May 2014, one of which was at a home in Mount Pleasant in Maldon.

But after the boilers had been fitted complaints were made to the Gas Safe register.

Inspectors found the appliances installed were considered to be “at risk” and required immediate work to ensure the safety of the occupiers of the properties.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found Nigel Murray, director of N Murray and Sons Ltd, had sub contracted gas installation work to his son Grant Murray, who he knew was not Gas Safe Registered.

It was also found that Nigel Murray was aware his son was not competent or gas safe registered but allowed the work to be completed.

The firm, based in Chelmsford, admitted breaching two charges of Regulation 3 (2) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and was fined £6,000.

Nigel Murray admitted breaching two charges of Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was sentenced to a six month community order and a 7pm to 5am curfew for four months.

Grant Murray admitted breaching two charges of Regulation 3 (1) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 and he has been sentenced to a 12 month community order and a 7pm – 5am curfew for six months.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Edward Crick said: “Gas Safe Registered engineers are regulated and have to ensure they can prove they are competent.

“This safeguard is removed when people choose not to register which is highlighted in this case, where the individual placed people at risk of harm in their homes.

“It is important that anybody who has gas work carried out checks their engineer is carrying a valid gas safe registered identification card.

"They should also check online or call Gas Safe Register to confirm they are competent to carry out the work.”

Speaking to the Standard director Nigel Murray said the issue related to the firm having an apprentice on site who needed to be supervised.

“He was not connecting the gas or anything like that,” he said. “The apprentices do not put the gas in the boiler.

“If you go down the road to the shops and leave the bloke unattended they say that is not right. The HSE say you have to be there all the time.

“I have been doing this jobs for 36 years and I didn’t want to waste public money taking it through crown court, so we admitted it.”