Rogue gas man broke ban with unsafe job

Brian Lloyd, 59, a self-employed plumber, was featured on the show in 2009 at a time when he was under investigation by the Health and Safety Executive.

The HSE went on to prosecute him in 2010 and he was fined and handed a 17-week suspended prison sentence.

Only six months later he carried out some gas fitting work at the home of an elderly woman in Ossett, near Wakefield.

The work contravened an earlier prohibition notice that banned him from undertaking any gas work until he became a registered Gas Safe engineer.

It was also in breach of the suspended jail sentence.

Leeds Crown Court heard yesterday that Lloyd did not initially believe he was doing anything wrong when he carried out the work as he had employed a Gas Safe engineer to do the main tasks.

At an earlier hearing Lloyd, of Dewsbury Road, Ossett admitted two gas safety offences and one charge of breaching a prohibition notice.

Judge Christopher Batty yesterday ordered him to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

After hearing that Lloyd is now unemployed, the judge said he must only pay £500 towards the £17,000 prosecution costs.

Judge Batty said his level of culpability was at a level which did not merit a jail sentence.

The court heard that Lloyd had paid a qualified engineer to rectify the faults but the work was still substandard.

After the case, health and safety inspector Andy Denison, who investigated Lloyd’s current and previous offences, said: “This is one of the worst cases I have come across involving a repeat offender and gas work.

“His previous conviction for a number of offences and his naming and shaming on a TV programme have done nothing to deter him from trying to turn a profit at the expense of people’s safety.”