A landlord has been fined after a family of five suffered carbon monoxide poisoning at their rented home.

North Avon Magistrates’ Court heard that last December the tenant returned home to their property in Mangotsfield and turned on the heating.

The Health and Safety Executive, prosecuting, told the court that the casing for the boiler was not in place as it had been removed to relight the boiler when the ignition button was not working. 

The tenants were not aware of the risks created by leaving the case off.

Later that evening five residents fell ill and were taken to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning.

Landlord Michael Bull of Coalpit Heath in Bristol admitted to breaching Regulations 36(2)(a) and 36(3)(a) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, and was fined £2,360. The full costs of £1,532 were awarded to HSE.

“It is important that domestic landlords understand and meet their legal obligations to ensure that gas appliances in their tenanted properties are checked for safety annually and regularly serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer. This case demonstrates that where this is not undertaken that tenant can be exposed to the products of combustion including carbon monoxide which in the most serious cases can result in death” says a spokesman for the HSE.