- Adam Evans was landlord of property and failed to get safety checks on gas boiler for eight years
- His tenant was a woman who lived in the property with her five children
- Annual gas safety checks are a legal duty
A landlord has been sentenced after failing to ensure gas safety checks were carried out at a rented property in Wirral.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that property owner Adam Evans failed to have annual safety checks carried out for a period of eight years. The house, on Salisbury Drive in New Ferry, was occupied by a tenant who lived with her five children.
HSE began its investigation in October 2024 after receiving a concern from Wirral Borough Council. The woman had lived at the property since 2016 and reported that no annual gas safety checks had been carried out during her tenancy.
Following enquiries, HSE requested copies of gas safety records from Mr Evans. He provided a certificate dated November 2024 that had been completed following the concern, but was unable to supply any records covering the previous eight years.
Gas safety checks are a basic legal requirement for landlords and are essential to ensure that appliances and flues are safe. Failing to have these checks carried out places tenants at risk of serious harm, including carbon monoxide poisoning.
The sentencing comes after the HSE issued a warning to the public recently amid a surge in prosecutions against those carrying out illegal gas work – Families warned of risk to life from unregistered gas work amid surge in prosecutions of illegal traders – HSE Media Centre.
Adam Evans, of Brownlow Road, New Ferry, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 36(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. He was fined £2,400 and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs at Wirral Magistrates’ Court on 8 October 2025.
Members of the public are reminded that landlords must ensure that gas appliances are checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer and that records of these checks are retained. Carbon monoxide alarms should also be installed to provide an early warning of danger.
HSE inspector Ian Betley said:
“Adam Evans showed a complete disregard for the law and put the lives of a mother and her children at risk.
“The case highlights a serious failure by him to comply with well-established gas safety requirements.
“Annual gas safety checks are a legal duty and are in place to protect tenants from very real and potentially fatal risks.
“Landlords must ensure that gas appliances and flues are properly maintained and inspected by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Failure to do so will not be tolerated and enforcement action will be taken.”
Gas engineers and consumers can contact the Gas Safe Register in any of these ways:
Website: www.gassaferegister.co.uk
Phone – Consumers: 0800 408 5500; Engineers: 0800 408 5577
Email – [email protected]
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Chloe Ward and paralegal officer Sarah Thomas.
Further information:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
- More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
- Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
- Guidance on domestic gas health and safety is available.
- HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences in England and Wales can be found here and for those in Scotland here.