Botched extension left family at fatal risk - HSE

A construction firm has been fined nearly £15,000 after a botched extension put the lives of a homeowner and her two children at risk.

Adam's Building Construction Ltd and its director Mohammed Adam Azhar were sentenced at Leeds Magistrates' Court on 7 August after the extension on a home in Bradford was found to be "immediately dangerous", according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The firm built an extension over gas pipework and a boiler flue without moving them, despite repeated warnings, the HSE said.

HSE inspector David Beaton said it exposed the family to the risk of gas leaks, fire, explosion and carbon monoxide poisoning, and was a "tragic accident waiting to happen".

"The failure on the part of the company and its director to properly plan this building work, and to make suitable arrangements for relocating the gas pipework and appliances, could have easily had fatal consequences for the family living in the property," he said.

Adam's Building Construction was hired to build an extension to the rear of the property in January 2024, the HSE said.

On 22 May 2024, a building control inspector from Bradford Council found the boiler flue was terminating inside the extension.

He contacted Northern Gas Networks, whose engineers found the gas installation to be "immediately dangerous" and cut off the property's supply.

The residents were left without gas for several weeks and repairs cost them about £4,000.

An HSE investigation found the firm had been "warned several times" by the council during the works that the gas pipework and flue needed to be properly relocated.

Beaton said the company's failures were "compounded by the further failures to comply with an HSE Improvement Notice, and to provide relevant information to assist our investigation".

Adam's Building Construction Ltd, of Leeds Road, Bradford, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,263.

Azhar, of Intake Road, Bradford, also pleaded guilty to breaching the same act and was fined a total of £1,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £400.

According to the HSE, the court heard that neither the company nor Azhar continued to be involved in the construction trade.

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