A Wandsworth landlady has been ordered to pay over £8,000 following a suspected carbon monoxide leak in one of her properties.

Aruna Pravin Kukadia, of Middlesex, was investigated by the Heath and Safety Executive (HSE) after a boiler caught fire in a property she owned in Portinscale Road, Putney, in 2006.

No one was harmed, but it was thought to be leaking the deadly gas carbon monoxide.

Tests taken weeks after the incident failed to provide enough evidence to prove this. But records showed the gas appliances had not been checked annually, as required by law.

Similar failures were also found in some of the 19 other properties Mrs Kukadia owns in the borough, despite warnings from the HSE back in 2004.

She pleaded guilty to breaching gas safety regulations on December 15 last year, and was fined £5,000 plus costs of £3,719.

Health and safety inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers said: “I hope this case sends a clear message to landlords who may be tempted to cut back on safety checks thinking that nothing will be done unless someone is harmed.

“We need landlords to make sure their gas appliances are maintained to a safe standard and an annual check must be carried out and recorded.

“This is a time when many buy-to-let landlords are under a lot of pressure, but they must make sure they don’t cut back on maintenance costs and put their tenants in danger.”