$4,319 Reparation Awarded For Illegal Drainlaying Done By Previous Owner

• Liam Walker completed illegal drainlaying work
• Charged under the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayer Act 2006 in Hamilton District Court last Friday
• $4,319 in reparation awarded to current owner
• Unauthorised drainlaying has a maximum fine of $10,000

Liam Walker was sentenced in the Hamilton District Court last week for completing illegal drainlaying work on a house he owned and later sold. He appeared for sentencing on one charge of carrying out unauthorised drainlaying and was ordered to pay $4,319 in reparation to Ursela Beasley, who bought the property from Mr Walker.

Mr Walker had the house built on a site in Cambridge. After a certifying plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer completed work at the property, Mr Walker installed an onsite wastewater treatment system. This involved installing pipework from the septic tank into a distribution box, which then split four pipes through two effluent fields. Mr Walker then covered the PVC pipe work with drainage metal and covered that with a geotextile cloth, before backfilling the pipework.

By installing the pipework and the splitter box and constructing the effluent fields, Mr Walker carried out drainlaying work that only an authorised person can do.

After purchasing the property from Mr Walker, Ms Beasley, a pensioner, noticed issues with the wastewater system.

“This nightmare started with a series of events after moving in,” said Ms Beasley.

“I was not provided with any warranties, guarantees or manuals by Mr Walker. I obtained the property files from council and contacted the drainlayer who did the drainage plans. They confirmed the second plan with the additions was not done by them or submitted by them.”

Ms Beasley then excavated the sewerage system to survey what work had been done, and discovered the set up did not match the plans.

Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board (Board) Chief Executive Aleyna Hall said the work Mr Walker did on the property did not comply with several sections of the Building Code, which posed a health risk to the next person it was sold to.

“The effluent fields Mr Walker installed were deeper than the approved design. This compromised the wastewater system and risked untreated effluent entering the storm water system and being carried to the front section of the property, where members of the public could have been exposed to it. This is why only registered plumbers, gasfitters, and drainlayers should carry out this work.”

“Sadly, in Ms Beasley’s case a building report probably wouldn’t have shown the undergound drainlaying work wasn’t up to Code and the issues presented themselves slowly over time.”

At sentencing last week, Judge Dawson considered the offending to be moderately serious given the health and safety risk the work posed on the new homeowner. His Honour ordered a fine of $500, court costs of $143, solicitor’s costs of $56 and reparation of $4,319.

“The $500 fine was low considering the impact and sale price of the house [but] the reparation was the full amount claimed and I thank the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board for all their efforts to get this awarded,” Ms Beasley commented.

“It is great to see the Board takes unqualified work very seriously.”

Note:

. Liam Walker was fined of $500 and ordered to pay court costs of $143, solicitor’s costs of $56 and reparation of $4,319 imposed

· Search the public register for a licensed plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer at www.pgdb.co.nz

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About the Board

The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board operates under the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Act 2006. The primary functions of the Board are to register and license plumbers, gasfitters and drainlayers and ensure the competency of those practitioners to protect public health and safety.

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