MONDAY, September 16 saw the launch of national Gas Safety Week and Mid Devon District Council is reminding residents about the importance of having an annual gas safety inspection.

The inspections are a legal requirement for all landlords, the Council included, and are vital in ensuring appliances and pipe work are safe for use.

However, despite the safety implications nearly half of the Council’s tenants do not allow inspectors access to their property, at the first scheduled appointment, in order to carry out the safety test.

In a recent case a tenant of MDDC was taken to court and an injunction order secured requiring the tenant to allow access to their home within 48 hours. The tenant had repeatedly ignored appointments, letters, texts and phone calls and had refused to allow gas engineers into their home to carry out the simple 20-minute inspection.

Read more in tomorrow’s paper.