Epco Energy Solutions Limited has been fined £20,000 after being found guilty of providing false electrical safety certificates for two unsafe car wash businesses in Runcorn. The Manchester-based company’s actions left workers and members of the public at significant risk of serious injury or electrocution, despite enforcement action taken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The company was also ordered to pay full costs of £15,239 at Warrington Magistrates Court on 22 October 2026.
The prosecution followed an investigation initiated by Britain’s workplace regulator, the HSE, in collaboration with Cheshire Police, Trading Standards, and immigration authorities. Inspectors visited Super Hand Car Wash on Halton Road and Top Star Hand Car Wash on Bridge Street, both located in Runcorn, where they discovered dangerous electrical systems. This critical safety breach led HSE inspectors to issue immediate enforcement notices, compelling both businesses to cease operations until the hazards were rectified.
The car wash owners were advised to engage a competent electrical contractor, ideally one registered with a reputable body such as the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC), to ensure the electrical installations were made safe. Epco Energy Solutions Limited, a company that was a member of the NICEIC at the time, was subsequently contracted to carry out the necessary work and provided certificates declaring the installations safe for use.
However, a subsequent examination of these certificates by one of HSE’s specialist electrical inspectors revealed significant discrepancies. The details provided in the certificates did not accurately reflect the actual condition of the electrical installations found on site. A follow-up visit to both car washes confirmed that the electrical systems remained dangerous, posing a continued and severe risk of electrocution to anyone present, including employees and customers.
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 mandate that all electrical installations must be maintained in a safe condition. This fundamental requirement underscores the necessity for all electrical work to be carried out exclusively by competent professionals. Membership of a certification body like NICEIC typically indicates that a contractor has undergone appropriate training and assessment, verifying their competence to perform work on electrical systems safely and to the required standards.
Investigations, supported by the NICEIC, revealed that Epco Energy Solutions Limited had generated the fraudulent certificates using the NICEIC’s secure, members-only electronic system. These documents, electronically signed with the sole director Mohammed Naeem’s signature, falsely asserted the safety of the electrical systems at the car washes. This deliberate misrepresentation directly contradicted the dangerous reality of the installations.
Epco Energy Solutions Limited, located at Unit B, 37 Worlsey Road, Eccles, Manchester, was found guilty after a trial at Warrington Magistrates Court on 2 September 2026. The company was convicted of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which places a duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in their employment who may be affected by their undertaking are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
HSE inspector Rose Leese-Weller emphasised the critical importance of electrical safety in environments where water is present. She stated that car wash owners bear a significant responsibility to ensure their electrical installations are not only safe for use but also fit for purpose, thereby preventing serious personal injury or electrocution. The inspector highlighted that the electrical installations at these specific car washes were inherently dangerous and unsafe for both staff and the visiting public. This case serves as a stark reminder that all workplaces must maintain electrical installations in a safe and usable condition to protect everyone on site.
This story was originally published by HSE Media Centre
