Prosecutions August 2007 

1. Martin Allan Lewis was fined £500 and must pay £500 costs after he admitted falsely claiming he was registered with CORGI. Shrewsbury Magistrates Court heard the 41-year-old, from Abbey Foregate, had fitted the gas boiler based on advice from a man he met in a pub. He admitted three charges of misrepresentation between December 2, 2004 and July 25, 2005.
2. The Red Panda Restaurant, Great Victoria Street, Belfast was prosecuted by Belfast City Council for Health and Safety at Work offences. The matters relate to the use of an unsafe gas installation on the premises.  Following an inspection by a CORGI Registered Gas Engineer three of the gas cooking appliances were found to be in a dangerous condition and deemed unsafe to use. The CORGI engineer identified that there was the potential for a gas explosion and carbon monoxide fumes and so disconnected the cooking appliances until the necessary repairs were completed.  The Red Panda pleaded guilty to 2 charges, the first was under Article 4 (2)a of the Health and Safety at work (N.I) Order 1978  for failing to provide and maintain plant and safe systems of work that were so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health. This charge relates to the Red Panda failing to maintain their gas appliances. The second offence under Regulation 3 (3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (N.I) 2004 was for allowing an employee, who was not approved to do so, carry out work in relation to a gas fitting. The breach occurred when someone in the employ of Red Panda reconnected and used dangerous gas appliances which had been disconnected the previous day by a CORGI registered gas engineer (reconnecting a gas appliance falls under the definition of ‘work’).
3. Mr K Martin was found guilty at Peterborough Magistrates Court of a charge under The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 of making a false claim of being CORGI registered. Martins Plumbing Services, archived CORGI registration number 197206, was CORGI registered for the period 01/11/02 to 20/01/04 and the registration was archived due to the business having no qualified operatives. Mr Martin was fined £2,500 and costs of £1,259.
4. Andrew Charles Ashman falsely told customers he was CORGI registered while working at their homes is to appear at Exeter Crown Court. Andrew Charles Ashman, who also used the surname Hunter, and now lives in Bedfordshire, worked as a plumber in Torquay trading under the name of the Plumbing Wizard in 2005. He pleaded guilty to six charges of making statements which he knew to be false. During September and October in 2005 he undertook two jobs which required him by law to be registered with CORGI in order to safely complete the work