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Electrician and bathroom fitter prosecuted for breach of Part P of the Building Regulations

An electrician in Newcastle and a bathroom fitter from the Bath and Somerset area are the first to be successfully prosecuted for offences under Part P of the Building Regulations.

Able Electrical based in Newcastle and the company’s director John Waugh, an electrician with 28 years experience, admitted 23 counts of breaching building regulations and was fined total of £16,000.

Able Electrical carried out rewiring on a property which, according to Newcastle magistrates' court, could have resulted in death or serious injury. Waugh admitted to 23 offences including falsely claiming to be registered with the NICEIC, failing to notify work to Building Control, installing cables under the landing floor in a poor manner, using old wires which are no longer covered by current regulations and not using Residual Circuit Breakers for sockets.

Newcastle Council Building Control brought charges against Able Electrical after the householder called in an NICEIC registered electrician to inspect Able’s work and found that the property needed a complete rewire and tests could not be carried out for safety reasons.

Jim Speirs, director general of the NICEIC said: “It is unacceptable for an electrician with this level of experience to have carried out work to such a poor standard that lives are put at risk.

“A professional and competent electrician or installer would have no problem in becoming registered with a competent person scheme, and would therefore have no reason to falsify their status. The NICEIC takes misuse of its name and logo seriously and we will always prosecute any persons falsely claiming registration with our schemes.”

In a second incident, Bath & North East Somerset Council Building Control brought charges against bathroom fitter Roger Martin Drinkwater for contravening Building Regulations with regard to the installation of an electric shower in a replacement bathroom at a private property.

The defendant pleaded guilty to charges that included using a method of wiring not in accordance with the British Standard, and failing to advise the complainant that the incomplete shower should not be used and that it was awaiting checking. He was fined £1,000 for the Part P offence and £250 each for the remaining offences of failing to give a Building Notice to Building Control prior to commencement of the work, and failing to give notice of commencement and completion of certain stages of the work. The court also ordered the defendant to pay £1,066 in costs.

Jim Speirs continued: “It is vital that anyone carrying out electrical installations are qualified to do so, and have a practical understanding of current wiring and building regulations. These prosecutions under Part P are evidence that Building Control bodies and scheme operators are taking compliance with Part P seriously, and will not tolerate false claims of competent scheme registration and sub-standard, dangerous working practices.”

Source: http://www.niceic.com