A landlord narrowly avoided jail when she appeared in court for failing to maintain gas appliances at a property in the county.

Dawn Holliday from Minster refused to undertake gas safety checks even after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) took enforcement action against her.

The 62-year-old was given a suspended sentence and has to wear a tag for four months after a court heard she put her tenants’ lives at risk by not maintaining gas appliances at a property in Eastchruch on the Isle of Sheppey.

Holliday claimed to have no money for undertaking maintenance to the property, leaving the tenants with a very temperamental boiler that banged and often left them with no heating or hot water, as well as a condemned cooker for several years.

However, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Holliday was receiving full rent from the tenant for the property on First Avenue in Eastchurch, when the enforcement action was taken.

Despite the Improvement Notice served on Ms Holliday to undertake gas safety checks, she ignored this and further requests from HSE.

She also claimed the tenants had moved out and had not been paying rent, the investigation found this claim to be completely untrue.

Holliday of Golden Leas Holiday Park, Plough Road, Minster on Sea, appeared at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court on September 2 and pleaded guilty to three charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

She was sentenced to imprisonment of 26 weeks, but the term was suspended for 12 months.

District Judge Stephen Leake also imposed an electronically monitored curfew on Holliday at her address for four months.

She will have to stay home between the hours of 8pm to 6am for the period and was also ordered to pay the HSE £750 costs.

Additionally, Judge Leake made a remediation order pursuant to section 42 of the 1974, for Holliday to undertake the gas safety inspection required of her by December 6 this year.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Joanne Williams said: “We are dedicated to ensuring that landlords operate within the law and provide safe accommodation for tenants.”

“We do not tolerate disregard for health and safety and consider the non-compliance of HSE enforcement notices as a serious offence.

“In this case Ms Holliday chose to flagrantly ignore the support, guidance and warnings from HSE to assist her in compliance with the law and continued placing her tenants at serious risk of injury or even death.

“Wherever possible we will continue to work with landlords to improve health and safety. However, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary and prosecute individuals who ignore warnings and the law.”