Don’t let unregistered engineers work on your gas appliances – the risk is not worth it.
This is the warning of the Building and Engineering Services Association (B&ES) and ‘find a tradesman’ initiative TrustMark this Gas Safety Week, with B&ES Chief Executive Roderick Pettigrew noting that OAPs are particularly vulnerable to this type of rogue trader.
Gas appliance work is “specialist” and potentially “very dangerous”, he pointed out, explaining that explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning can be some of the consequences of illegal gas work.
TrustMark and B&ES revealed that thousands of bogus gas installers are working in the UK at the moment, with these criminals undertaking more than 250,000 jobs every year. As well as putting people’s lives in danger, rectifying this work costs a total of £100 million annually, the organisations pointed out.
“Barely a week goes by” without an unregistered gas fitter being prosecuted for illegally working, they added.
Mr Pettigrew recommended that people do not rely on friends’ recommendations or to use plumbers that they have used in the past for gas work, stating that instead, they ought to check any engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card and report any concerns to the Gas Safe Register on 0800 408 5500.
TrustMark Chief Executive Simon Ayers advised people who are considering having any work performed on their gas appliances or boilers to only use “reputable firms”.
He described Gas Safety Week as a “great national safety campaign”, saying it is of “paramount” importance for people to stay safe in their homes. Therefore, gas safety is a “seriously important message” for all homeowners, he added.
To check an engineer’s Gas Safe Register details:
- Ask to see their ID card, and do not trust any engineers that are not forthcoming with this information
- Look at the front of the card to check the photo, license number, security hologram, the start date and the expiry date
- Look at the back of the card to check the engineer’s qualifications are up-to-date and that they are qualified to work on your particular gas appliances
- Alternatively, use the Gas Safe Register’s online Check an Engineer service, call them on their hotline, or text Gas and the engineer’s license number to 85080.
- Report illegal gas fitters through the Gas Safe Register’s hotline or their online illegal gas fitter report service
Broken boiler?
Don’t attempt to touch any part of your boiler or central heating system if you’re unsure. Did you know? It’s illegal for anyone to use a gas appliance if they think it’s unsafe. It’s always better to be safe than sorry as you could make things worse.
We have a nationwide network of thousands of Gas Safe engineers operating in every part of the UK, so you can avoid the rogue traders effortlessly if you take out boiler cover with 247 Home Rescue. Call us on 01254 355 535 to speak with one of our advisors, or take out a service plan through our website!
