The landlord of a block of flats in Hackney has been fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £1,500 costs after two of his tenants were poisoned by carbon monoxide (CO), due to a boiler in their flat not being properly maintained.
Soley Fikret pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 at the Old Bailey recently.
An ambulance had to be called to his property in Mare Street on11 January 2007, when a tenant in one of the flats appeared to have symptoms of a heart attack.
Paramedics gained access to the flats and took the individual to hospital. Meanwhile other residents of the building were unable to wake another tenant, and another ambulance was called.
CO poisoning was diagnosed and all residents and guests of the property and the paramedics, 13 people in total, were treated for the effects of CO poisoning.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) officers attended the next day with British Gas investigators, who put warning notices on the gas appliances in one flat. They returned to the property on the 15 January 2007 to test the boiler and found it was emitting high levels of CO.
An HSE investigation showed that Fikret had failed to ensure that the three separate boilers and flues in the flats at Mare Street were checked for safety in the previous 12 months.
HSE Inspector Gavin Pugh said: “Landlords must act responsibly. This case should be a warning to landlords who don't bother to look after their tenants. In this instance it was very lucky that no one was killed.
“Had the carbon monoxide poisoning happened slightly later in the night, this incident could have resulted in a terrible tragedy.
“It is the responsibility of every landlord to maintain gas appliances in a safe condition and have them safety checked by a registered gas installer at least once a year, and it is not difficult to arrange for a registered installer to carry out the annual checks.
Also, it is essential for any new gas appliances, which includes flues and ventilation systems to be installed by a registered gas installer.”
