A self-employed plumber has been prosecuted for carrying out illegal work on a gas boiler that was "so bad, it put his customers' lives at risk".

Michael Gallimore, aged 62 from Fornham All Saints, admitted breaching health and safety laws.


Gallimore had installed gas boilers at houses in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk, and Norfolk between 2008 and 2009. He also falsely claimed to be a legally registered engineer. The HSE carried out an investigation following a complaint from a customer.


The investigation found that the installation in Weeting was “immediately dangerous” and classified it as “at risk”.


Weeting customer, 69-year-old Frank Simmonds, said: “We asked him if he was qualified to do the gas work and he told us he was. We asked to see his paperwork and he said he would provide it to us later, but it just didn’t appear.”


Gallimore was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £4,000 in costs.