Prosecutions

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) brought the prosecution at Southampton Magistrates Court today (24 March) after the mother and daughter were severely affected by carbon monoxide.

Landlords of the property, two brothers, were repeatedly warned that the boiler needed servicing over a period of almost four years and failed to act.

Each man pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Both were fined £7,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,500.

The property's gas service engineer, and declared the boiler safe to use three times when it was not. He pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching regulations 5(3) and 6(2) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 on dates between 6 April 2005 and 3 December 2007. He was fined £4,500 for the first three offences [breaching regulation 5 (3)] and he was also fined £500 for breaching regulation 6 (2) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was ordered to pay costs of £548.

On 2 December 2007, the mother and daughter were in their home. The daughter became ill and began to drift in and out of consciousness and the mother started to suffer bad headaches and began vomiting. Both were taken from the house in a barely conscious state and then taken to hospital by a neighbour suffering from severe carbon monoxide poisoning.

When HSE investigated the level of carbon monoxide produced by the central heating boiler in the family's home, it was so high it was off the scale of the measuring equipment used by inspectors.

An inspector from the HSE who investigated this case said:

"A mother and daughter were put at significant risk over a period of almost three years because of the actions of two landlords and their gas service engineer. The dangers associated with carbon monoxide exposure are well known. The Landlords knew there were problems with ventilation at the property and failed to service the central heating boiler appropriately.

This case shows that it is vitally important for landlords to understand and act upon their responsibilities around gas safety. It is only by sheer good fortune that this incident did not happen at night, or the consequences could have been far worse."

HSE will prosecute landlords, gas companies and gas engineers that place lives at risk through their lack of diligence.