An unregistered gas installer, Bradley Willis-Chambers, has received an eighteen-month suspended prison sentence for carrying out illegal and dangerous gas work at two homes in Hampshire. The sentencing, which took place on 23 July 2026, also included a requirement for 180 hours of unpaid work and an order to pay £600. His actions between 2021 and 2022 left properties with dangerous defects and one family without hot water for an extended period, causing significant distress and financial burden.
Unregistered installer endangered lives at two Hampshire properties
Willis-Chambers, 47, removed and installed boilers at properties in Southsea and Tipner. Concerns were subsequently raised with the Gas Safe Register regarding the quality of the installations and non-working components. One family, a single parent with a young daughter, was left without a functional hot water appliance, while a young couple in their first home faced substantial and unexpected repair costs due to the shoddy workmanship. The property owners described the experience as being “misled at every stage” and an “ordeal” that impacted their personal lives, work, and relationships, leaving them with an unfinished home and ongoing debt.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed that Bradley Willis-Chambers was not registered to carry out gas work, making his activities illegal. Further enquiries revealed a history of non-compliance; he had previously faced HSE enforcement in 2012 for similar illegal, unregistered gas work. Although he later became a member of the Gas Safe Register, his registration was revoked in 2016 due to his failure to demonstrate competence, rectify defects, and adhere to registration rules. He had not been legitimately registered to undertake any gas work since May 2016.
The dangers associated with unqualified gas work are severe and can have fatal consequences. Such work can lead to hazardous gas leaks, devastating fires, explosions, and silent carbon monoxide poisoning, putting the lives of occupants and neighbours at grave risk. The law mandates that all gas work must be undertaken by engineers who are registered with the Gas Safe Register to ensure safety standards are met.
HSE Inspector Francesca Arnold commented on the case, stating: “Bradley Willis-Chambers carried out illegal and dangerous gas work which he knew he was not registered to do. His failures could have led to catastrophic and tragic consequences for the homeowners, putting the lives of the homeowners and their children at risk.” Inspector Arnold further emphasised the importance of public vigilance: “All gas work must be undertaken by Gas Safe registered engineers. The public should always ask to see the gas engineer’s identification and check the registration number online to ensure it is valid – it only takes a few minutes to check and could prevent disaster.”
In addition to the HSE investigation, a separate inquiry by Portsmouth City Council Trading Standards found Bradley Willis-Chambers guilty of fraudulent trading against four victims during the same period, leading to him being made subject to a Criminal Behaviour Order. Willis-Chambers, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty on the morning of his trial to four counts of breaching Regulation 3(3) and Regulation 5(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court. He was subsequently committed for sentence to Portsmouth Crown Court, where His Honour Judge Newton-Price KC found there had been a “flagrant disregard for the law” before imposing the suspended sentence.
This story was originally published by HSE Media Centre.
