A former gas engineer from Bedford has been sentenced to unpaid community work and ordered to repay more than £12,600 after defrauding homeowners by pretending to carry out repair work.
Lewis Howard, 40, of The Ridgeway, Bedford, appeared at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on 30 September, where he was told to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service within 12 months. He was also instructed to compensate three victims based in Welwyn, Stevenage and Milton Keynes.
The court heard that Howard had worked for British Gas until April 2024, when he was dismissed for breaching company rules. While still employed, he had taken on private work independently, receiving payment from customers but failing to complete the agreed repairs.
After his dismissal, Howard kept his British Gas uniform and continued to use it to mislead members of the public. He obtained plumbing materials, including copper piping, by giving the impression he remained employed by the company.
Three victims were left out of pocket and without functioning boilers, some during winter months. They had each paid Howard to carry out gas or plumbing work which was either left unfinished or never started.
Detective Constable Claire Mann, who investigated the case, said Howard had exploited his position to deceive members of the public. “Howard used his position with British Gas to secure private work, for which he was paid and did not complete,” she said. “Some of the families affected, who had children and elderly family members, were left without heating during the cold winter. The court has taken action to deter rogue trading and to compensate those that were scammed out of hundreds of pounds and still needed to get the necessary work done.”
The magistrates’ court ordered Howard to complete his community service within a year and repay the victims in full.
