Wigan victim of unregistered gas fitter had to fight '˜tooth and nail' for action

A Wiganer who had a fireplace fitted by unregistered gas workers has blasted health and safety chiefs' handling of the case.
Gas problemGas problem
Gas problem

Jill Earley, from Platt Bridge, slammed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and said she had to fight “tooth and nail” to get Karl Welsh and James Allen convicted in court.

The duo were given suspended jail sentences and community work requirements as well as being ordered to pay thousands in costs after admitting three breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

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However, Mrs Earley said bosses at the HSE kept trying to drop the matter and let them go scot free in allegations which have been strongly denied by the watchdog.

She said authorities who could have taken action waited months before acting against Welsh and Allen and accused them of not doing enough to protect the public.

Mrs Earley said: “I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to get the HSE to do anything.

“Whether Gas Safe didn’t upscale it or the HSE said they were doing nothing I don’t know. I got emails from the HSE saying they had asked questions and were concluding the investigation, not taking it any further.

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“I said I wasn’t having that. What Welsh and Allen were doing was dangerous. People were sitting with these fires not realising how bad they were. I feared they were going to blow the street up or kill somebody. Everybody has let us down. Gas Safe knew about this a year before they did anything and HSE kept wanting to drop the case all along.

“An HSE employee said they were dropping it and there was nothing else they could do. I said he was on notice because these dangerous fires were in people’s homes and if someone got hurt I would publicly name him personally as responsible.

“I’m not saying that changed his mind but the next thing they said they had done a full investigation. Karl Welsh had been signing off on work he wasn’t even entitled to do. He was only Gas Safe registered for doing work under supervision.”

Mrs Earley also gave shocking details of the substandard work done in her home.

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She said: “When we got the manufacturer out they said he pipe that brings the gas in had a 90-degree bend in it whereas it should have been curved. They said it would weaken over time. It was immediately condemned.

“It was then turned off again after it started giving off too much heat and melted picture hooks.”

The HSE has robustly defended its work in bringing Welsh and Allen to justice, saying it took time to gather enough information to ensure they would be found guilty.

A spokesperson said: “HSE’s prosecution of James Allen and Karl Welsh concluded on 3 January 2019, with suspended prison sentences and other consequences for both.

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“The investigation has been reviewed, and the reviewer was satisfied that a proportionate and timely investigation was followed from November 2016, when HSE was first notified of issues at the property by Gas Safe Register (GSR).

“The issues at other properties were not notified to HSE by GSR and it was not until we became aware of them in June 2017, that we were able to gather the robust evidence needed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and enable the successful prosecution of both Mr Allen and Mr Welsh in April last year.”