A RETIRED gas engineer has been fined for endangering lives while not registered to work.

Derek Ringe, 64, left a boiler in an “immediately dangerous”

state with high carbon monoxide levels after working on it at a Colchester home, a court heard.

Ringe, of Old School Lane, Elmstead, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

At Colchester Magistrates’ Court, he admitted breaching gas safety regulations and was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,196 costs.

Ringe had spent a number of years working as a self-employed gas engineer.

He cancelled his registration with Gas Safe in October 2012, which meant he was not legally allowed to work, but he did not stop.

He serviced and repaired a domestic boiler at a property in Colchester on two separate occasions, in July 2013 and July 2014.

After the most recent visit, the homeowner raised concerns and another engineer visited and discovered the boiler was “at risk”

and Ringe was not registered to work on boilers.

The engineer said the boiler was “immediately dangerous”

based on high carbon monoxide levels, which can be fatal.

He also found the flue was not connected to the boiler.

Ringe admitted breaching Regulation 3 (3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Jessica Donne said: “Gas Safe registered engineers are subject to checks and assessments to ensure their work is carried out safely.

“By deliberately choosing to work while unregistered, Mr Ringe avoided these checks and may have put the lives of members of the public in their homes at risk.”