Two brothers from Dudley have been ordered to pay fines and costs of more than £3,000 after they failed to obtain a gas safety record for a property they rented out, putting tenants' lives at risk.

Philip Hale, 52, and Roger Hale, 50, were sentenced at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on 27 January after council housing officers found no trace of a gas safety record for the Himley Street property.

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) wrote to the brothers requesting a copy of the landlord’s gas safety record, a legal requirement. However, the two admitted that they had not had one for eight years.

HSE also found that two gas fires provided by the landlords to the tenants had been condemned by National Grid following an inspection after a gas smell had been detected in the property.

Philip Hale, of Gayfield Avenue, Brierley Hill, and Roger Hale, of Karen Way, Brierley Hill, both pleaded guilty to breaching the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. Philip Hale was fined £1,000 and Roger Hale was fined £1,500 and both were ordered to pay costs of £464 each.

HSE inspector Pam Folsom said: “Philip and Roger Hale potentially put lives and property in danger by ignoring their responsibilities as landlords of this property.

“It is essential landlords have gas appliances inspected annually. Well- maintained appliances reduce the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and dangerous gas leaks. Gas safety records are a legal requirement and give tenants the peace of mind they deserve when it comes to the safety of the appliances in their homes.

“Landlords who fail to have their gas appliances checked annually will be investigated by the Health and Safety Executive and action will be taken where necessary.”