A GAS fitter who installed central heating without trade certificates left his victim with a £3,700 bill, a court heard yesterday.

Keith Higgins, 57, installed gas appliances at two homes belonging to Graham Hodgman in March 1999 and November 2000.

Hartlepool Magistrates' Court, where Higgins faced a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution, heard how he deliberately breached regulations that state gas fitters must be Corgi-registered.

Gerry Rutter, prosecuting for the HSE, said that after Higgins installed a central heating system at Mr Hodgman's home in Clifton Avenue, Hartlepool, he contacted Corgi after a number of problems.

Mr Rutter said: "He called them because it didn't work well and was leaking water. Mr Hodgman had called Higgins back three times to get him to repair it but to no avail.

"When inspectors came to look at the central heating system and gas fire, they had to disconnect the gas boiler because in an 'immediately dangerous' condition'."

Mr Hodgman, who had paid £2,000 cash-in-hand for the job, eventually had to pay another £2,000 to have it ripped out and replaced.

Eighteen months earlier, he had also paid Higgins £1,650 to install a similar system at his previous house in Thornton Street. This also turned out to be faulty.

Higgins, of Ruskin Grove, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching gas safety regulations and was fined £75 for each offence and told to pay £250 court costs.

Michael Dixon, defending, said his client's recent hip replacement meant he would never work again. He said Higgins didn't actually install the gas appliances, he simply worked on them as a favour for Mr Hodgman.

Earlier this year Higgins, who traded as Blakelock Plumbing and Heating, settled a compensation claim with Mr Hodgman at the county court