A PLUMBER has been jailed for 18 months after he broke a prohibition order by installing a gas boiler.

Paul Golding’s latest victims only discovered his history of shoddy building work and deceiving householders after they smelt gas in their home, York Crown Court heard.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had officially barred the 62-year-old from carrying out gas work but on November 14 and 15, 2015, he removed a gas boiler from a house in Scarborough and installed a new one.

Golding, of Queen Margaret’s Road, Scarborough, denied two charges of breaching gas safety regulations and two of breaching safety regulations, but was convicted by a jury.

He claimed the gas boiler had been installed by another man while the householders were at church.

Golding was jailed for 18 months. He has 19 previous convictions, including making false statements, obtaining money by deception and using a false trade description.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Darian Dundas said: “Paul Golding undertook gas work which he knew he was not registered to do.

“Working with domestic gas appliances is difficult, specialised and potentially very dangerous, so it is vital that this is only undertaken by trained and competent engineers who are registered with Gas Safe.”

Golding has not passed the courses to do gas work, the executive said.