9:10:40 > 9:10:45Every year 5,000 people die in household accidents across the UK.
9:10:45 > 9:10:48And three million others end up in A & E.
9:10:48 > 9:10:52The scale of some of the potentially fatal hazards in all our homes
9:10:52 > 9:10:54is shocking.
9:10:54 > 9:10:55And the actions of the dodgy
9:10:55 > 9:10:59and deceitful few who put lives in danger is scandalous.
9:10:59 > 9:11:04Every one of us is at risk. Take a look around and ask yourself...
9:11:04 > 9:11:06How safe is your house?
9:11:09 > 9:11:13You might not know it, but dangers exist in all our homes.
9:11:13 > 9:11:17So in this series, we're going to reveal where you are most at risk
9:11:17 > 9:11:19and how you can stay safe.
9:11:20 > 9:11:22I'm Mark Clemmit.
9:11:22 > 9:11:25And with the help of DIY SOS's Mark Millar,
9:11:25 > 9:11:28we'll be hunting down the dangerous tradesmen whose hazardous work
9:11:28 > 9:11:32leaves households all over the UK in lethal condition.
9:11:32 > 9:11:35I really don't feel comfortable in this part of the building.
9:11:35 > 9:11:36This is not safe.
9:11:38 > 9:11:40No, don't do that, you're in enough trouble.
9:11:40 > 9:11:45I'm Angellica Bell and I'll be with the agencies at the front line
9:11:45 > 9:11:48of the battle to keep all our homes safe 24/7.
9:11:50 > 9:11:52That's really toxic. Really toxic.
9:11:52 > 9:11:55I am absolutely astounded that anybody would want to put that
9:11:55 > 9:11:57on their skin.
9:11:57 > 9:12:01And we'll reveal the deadly dangers that lurk in your home.
9:12:01 > 9:12:02Argh!
9:12:02 > 9:12:05The items that I found have the potential to end life.
9:12:13 > 9:12:18Tonight, we tackle a growing pest problem that threatens our health
9:12:18 > 9:12:20and the safety of our homes.
9:12:20 > 9:12:23We know they're under the floor space and in particular
9:12:23 > 9:12:26they're in the play area and they're in the front room.
9:12:26 > 9:12:29You hear about Weil's disease, it's a concern for me
9:12:29 > 9:12:31that that could affect the children.
9:12:31 > 9:12:35And we reveal the surprising hazard that is one of the biggest causes
9:12:35 > 9:12:37of serious injuries in our homes.
9:12:37 > 9:12:39..one, go!
9:12:39 > 9:12:42TUMBLING DOWN STAIRS
9:12:42 > 9:12:43That was very scary.
9:12:46 > 9:12:51But first, there are an estimated 7,500 gas engineers
9:12:51 > 9:12:54working illegally in Britain and every year they install
9:12:54 > 9:12:57a quarter of a million appliances in our homes,
9:12:57 > 9:12:59putting all our lives at risk.
9:12:59 > 9:13:03It's a huge problem, but how many of us know
9:13:03 > 9:13:05what questions to ask the people
9:13:05 > 9:13:08we invite into our homes, to carry out gas work, to make sure
9:13:08 > 9:13:11they are qualified and aren't putting us in danger?
9:13:14 > 9:13:17You have to have a certificate, I forget the name of it, sorry.
9:13:17 > 9:13:20They have to prove who they are and have identification.
9:13:20 > 9:13:23They've got like an ID card and they've got a number.
9:13:23 > 9:13:27The qualifications they have to have have changed from what it used
9:13:27 > 9:13:28to be to something new
9:13:28 > 9:13:31and I have absolutely no idea what the new thing is.
9:13:31 > 9:13:34It used to be CORGI registered, now it's something else.
9:13:34 > 9:13:37Is it Gas Safe or something like that?
9:13:37 > 9:13:39As far as I know it's CORGI registered,
9:13:39 > 9:13:42it might have changed but if it has, I haven't heard about it.
9:13:43 > 9:13:46To carry out gas work, you have to be Gas Safe registered -
9:13:46 > 9:13:49they're the organisation that took over from CORGI.
9:13:49 > 9:13:52Anyone who is not registered who carries out gas work
9:13:52 > 9:13:55is breaking the law. No ifs, no buts.
9:13:56 > 9:13:59If engineers aren't Gas Safe registered, there's no way
9:13:59 > 9:14:01of knowing if they're properly qualified
9:14:01 > 9:14:04and the work they do in your home is safe.
9:14:04 > 9:14:08But Andrew Barnes of APB Home Services in Milton Keynes
9:14:08 > 9:14:13has been carrying out unregistered and illegal gas work for years.
9:14:13 > 9:14:16I'm going to ask the question, when was it last serviced?
9:14:18 > 9:14:22He was recently fined and given a conditional discharge
9:14:22 > 9:14:26for carrying out illegal gas work since 2006.
9:14:26 > 9:14:28But two months after his court case,
9:14:28 > 9:14:30he was still advertising to do it online.
9:14:31 > 9:14:35A quick call to Gas Safe confirmed he still wasn't registered.
9:14:35 > 9:14:39Surely he wouldn't be so stupid as to still be carrying out
9:14:39 > 9:14:41illegal gas work.
9:14:41 > 9:14:43Would he?
9:14:43 > 9:14:46To find out, we're going undercover.
9:14:47 > 9:14:51We've rented a house and invited him to take a look at a boiler which,
9:14:51 > 9:14:54with the help of Gas Safe engineer Mike Griffin,
9:14:54 > 9:14:56we've rigged with a fault.
9:14:56 > 9:15:00What I've done is, I've let the pressure out of the expansion
9:15:00 > 9:15:02vessel and out of the system itself.
9:15:02 > 9:15:06- Can anybody deal with this kind of problem?- No.
9:15:06 > 9:15:09Once you take that cover off, you need to be Gas Safe registered
9:15:09 > 9:15:12to work inside that area or even just to take that cover off.
9:15:12 > 9:15:15Let me clarify. You're talking about this outer shell here -
9:15:15 > 9:15:19- once that comes away, you have got to be Gas Safe registered?- Yes.
9:15:19 > 9:15:23Because it's part of the room seal of the boiler.
9:15:23 > 9:15:26Because the cover also acts as a seal on modern boilers,
9:15:26 > 9:15:29if it's not replaced correctly, there's a danger that deadly
9:15:29 > 9:15:32carbon monoxide gas can leak into your home.
9:15:34 > 9:15:37And before we find out if Andrew Barnes is still carrying out illegal
9:15:37 > 9:15:41and potentially dangerous gas work, Mark Millar has been investigating
9:15:41 > 9:15:45how this lethal gas can strike any of us without warning.
9:15:45 > 9:15:47- Hi.- How are you doing? I'm Mark.- Come on in.
9:15:47 > 9:15:51When Jan Collins had an extension built on her family house
9:15:51 > 9:15:54in Cheshire, she had a gas fire fitted in the room.
9:15:54 > 9:15:58But once the job was done, things started to go seriously wrong.
9:15:59 > 9:16:03Over a number of weeks, I started to feel very tired.
9:16:03 > 9:16:07And what was unusual was the types of headaches I started to get,
9:16:07 > 9:16:09these were excruciatingly painful.
9:16:09 > 9:16:11And incredibly bad nosebleeds
9:16:11 > 9:16:14and I couldn't understand why this was happening to me.
9:16:14 > 9:16:17At what point did you notice there was a problem with the fire?
9:16:17 > 9:16:20My husband just happened to be sat in here one Sunday
9:16:20 > 9:16:24morning and noticed a blackening of the brickwork of the fireplace,
9:16:24 > 9:16:25"This shouldn't be happening.
9:16:25 > 9:16:28"Why don't you call a chimney sweep in during the week?"
9:16:28 > 9:16:31which I did, and as soon as the chimney sweep saw the size of
9:16:31 > 9:16:34the fire and the aperture, straightaway he said, "That's not right."
9:16:34 > 9:16:37Then he then did a smoke test which found that more than 50%
9:16:37 > 9:16:41- of the carbon monoxide fumes were coming back into the room.- Wow.- Yeah.
9:16:41 > 9:16:45Fortunately, Jan noticed the problem with her fire in time
9:16:45 > 9:16:49and she's had it ripped out and this new one safely installed.
9:16:49 > 9:16:51What I've since learned,
9:16:51 > 9:16:55and I had no consideration of this at the time, was that it's not
9:16:55 > 9:16:57just about whether they're Gas Safe registered,
9:16:57 > 9:17:00it's making sure they're Gas Safe registered for the appliance
9:17:00 > 9:17:03in which you want them to work on. He was Gas Safe registered
9:17:03 > 9:17:05but only to work on boilers, not to work on fires.
9:17:06 > 9:17:10To be Gas Safe registered, engineers have to take a rigorous
9:17:10 > 9:17:13exam for every type of appliance they work on.
9:17:13 > 9:17:16And the details of what exams they have passed are set out
9:17:16 > 9:17:19on the back of their Gas Safe ID card.
9:17:21 > 9:17:23What I wanted was an apology.
9:17:23 > 9:17:26This guy has compromised my health,
9:17:26 > 9:17:30he's compromised potentially my life and the life of my family.
9:17:30 > 9:17:34And as you can imagine, my husband was out for making him
9:17:34 > 9:17:37acknowledge that he'd made a mistake and for him to say, "Yes,
9:17:37 > 9:17:40"I've done something bad here and I'm really sorry."
9:17:40 > 9:17:44Unregistered gas engineers put lives at risk.
9:17:44 > 9:17:47And although Andrew Barnes isn't responsible for what happened
9:17:47 > 9:17:51to Jan, he has carried out illegal gas work for years.
9:17:51 > 9:17:54We want to make sure he works safely by exposing him,
9:17:54 > 9:17:59so he takes the exams and gets himself on the Gas Safe register.
9:17:59 > 9:18:02But if he does break the law again, we will also be handing over
9:18:02 > 9:18:07our footage to the authorities, which could mean a fine and prison.
9:18:12 > 9:18:15# Oh, I think I smell a rat
9:18:15 > 9:18:18# Oh, I think I smell a rat... #
9:18:20 > 9:18:23That rat is massive.
9:18:24 > 9:18:27Rats spread dangerous and life-threatening diseases
9:18:27 > 9:18:30and attack the fabric of our homes.
9:18:30 > 9:18:34We've got chewed wire, we've got exposed water pipes,
9:18:34 > 9:18:38we've got horrendous amounts of faeces and urine.
9:18:39 > 9:18:42As more and more rats become resistant to the poisons
9:18:42 > 9:18:46we put down, the danger they pose to all of us is increasing.
9:18:47 > 9:18:51Today, I'm joining pest control officer Justin Holloway
9:18:51 > 9:18:56as he answers a plea for help from a family in Swindon.
9:18:56 > 9:18:58- Hello, good morning.- Morning.
9:18:58 > 9:19:02Mark and Lisa have got a serious rat problem
9:19:02 > 9:19:06and are desperate for Justin to rid their home of these dangerous pests.
9:19:06 > 9:19:09I have to say that your house is spotless, I'm actually quite jealous.
9:19:09 > 9:19:12I'm surprised you have a rat problem.
9:19:12 > 9:19:14What are the things that concern you most?
9:19:14 > 9:19:16For me, we know they are under the floor space
9:19:16 > 9:19:18and in particular they are in the play area
9:19:18 > 9:19:20and they are in the front room, which means
9:19:20 > 9:19:24they're in close proximity to the children when they're playing.
9:19:24 > 9:19:29You heat about Weil's disease, it's a concern for me that that could affect the children.
9:19:29 > 9:19:34Weil's disease, or leptospirosis, is a bacterial disease which can
9:19:34 > 9:19:39cause flu-like symptoms such as...
9:19:39 > 9:19:45And in extreme cases can lead to...
9:19:46 > 9:19:47How can you catch it?
9:19:47 > 9:19:50You can catch it by being exposed to the urine of the rat.
9:19:50 > 9:19:53The Leptospira bacterium is within that.
9:19:53 > 9:19:57And if, for example, the children have any cuts or abrasions,
9:19:57 > 9:20:00and they become exposed to damp urine, it's possible that
9:20:00 > 9:20:03could enter their bloodstream through that cut or abrasion.
9:20:03 > 9:20:04- This potentially is serious.- Yes.
9:20:04 > 9:20:07It's a situation that needs to be managed, for sure.
9:20:07 > 9:20:09To solve this rat problem,
9:20:09 > 9:20:12Justin needs to stop them from getting into the house.
9:20:12 > 9:20:16And the search for their entry point starts in the playroom.
9:20:16 > 9:20:19- So what can you see from here? - First of all, we've got droppings.
9:20:19 > 9:20:23We know they're travelling in this direction, that they've been here.
9:20:23 > 9:20:26They're relatively fresh given the glistening of the surface.
9:20:26 > 9:20:28What we've also got here is chewing to the wire.
9:20:28 > 9:20:31So the rats have been chewing away here quite happily.
9:20:31 > 9:20:34That'll give rise to the electrics tripping, there is inconvenience
9:20:34 > 9:20:37with that, there's cost, you need an electrician to come sort this out.
9:20:37 > 9:20:38And there is risk.
9:20:38 > 9:20:41When rats chew through and expose wires,
9:20:41 > 9:20:44they leave our homes at risk of house fires.
9:20:44 > 9:20:47But with no obvious entry point to Mark and Lisa's house
9:20:47 > 9:20:50under the playroom, the search moves to the lounge.
9:20:50 > 9:20:52We're having a look at the internal structure to see
9:20:52 > 9:20:54if we can see anything that's obvious.
9:20:54 > 9:20:56We can see the footprints and the droppings,
9:20:56 > 9:20:59but it doesn't appear to be emanating from here.
9:20:59 > 9:21:02There's no immediately apparent entry points that I can see.
9:21:02 > 9:21:05- That's for sure. - In this part of the building,
9:21:05 > 9:21:07I've gone all the way up to this fireplace
9:21:07 > 9:21:11and filled all of the holes they could possibly have come through
9:21:11 > 9:21:14with expanding foam and steel mesh.
9:21:14 > 9:21:18They could be quite carefully secreted behind one of these areas.
9:21:18 > 9:21:21They could be popping out further along this floor.
9:21:21 > 9:21:24I think what we now need to do is to move our investigations to
9:21:24 > 9:21:26the outside sewer system.
9:21:26 > 9:21:29If you do have rats in your house, it's best to call
9:21:29 > 9:21:33the professionals as soon as possible, because they breed quickly
9:21:33 > 9:21:37and it doesn't take long for even a small problem to get out of hand.
9:21:39 > 9:21:40So what have we got in here, Justin?
9:21:40 > 9:21:43Well, Angellica, it's time to bring out Sewer Cam.
9:21:43 > 9:21:46I can travel up to 40 metres through the sewer system,
9:21:46 > 9:21:48getting a very good look at the pipework.
9:21:48 > 9:21:50It's not going to be pleasant, which is why
9:21:50 > 9:21:53I've got to get changed into some other clothing right now.
9:21:53 > 9:21:56Because I'm not going in that hole without...
9:21:56 > 9:21:59- You're going in the hole? - I'm going in that hole, yes.
9:21:59 > 9:22:03Justin is checking the sewers because they are full of rats.
9:22:03 > 9:22:07And a broken sewer pipe is a perfect way for them to get into our homes.
9:22:07 > 9:22:09Right, time to go in.
9:22:10 > 9:22:12Angellica, if you take a look in here,
9:22:12 > 9:22:15- can you see those formations of droppings?- Yes.
9:22:15 > 9:22:18There's various droppings scattered around in here,
9:22:18 > 9:22:19particularly in the corner there.
9:22:19 > 9:22:23You see what sort of build up we've got here, so I'm going to have
9:22:23 > 9:22:27to break this through to try and get the camera up.
9:22:27 > 9:22:30- I'm going to let you get on with it for a moment, yeah?- You carry on!
9:22:30 > 9:22:34While Justin is clearing the sewer so that he can check the pipe,
9:22:34 > 9:22:38inside, Mark is doing some investigation work of his own.
9:22:38 > 9:22:40So what have you discovered?
9:22:40 > 9:22:43So, just underneath here there is a load of rubble
9:22:43 > 9:22:47and debris, which means the rats have been dragging it away
9:22:47 > 9:22:49from most probably this wall area.
9:22:49 > 9:22:53I think this is most probably the area that they are coming in,
9:22:53 > 9:22:55underneath the wall into my property.
9:22:55 > 9:22:58Which is great - maybe we could get evidence with what Justin is doing,
9:22:58 > 9:23:01the sewer system is all along the side of this house, isn't it?
9:23:01 > 9:23:04Yeah. And we'll see what's happening down there.
9:23:04 > 9:23:07This is a potentially significant discovery.
9:23:07 > 9:23:11The sewer that Justin is up to his neck in runs right along
9:23:11 > 9:23:14the side of the house where Mark thinks the rats could be getting in.
9:23:15 > 9:23:17We'll find out shortly
9:23:17 > 9:23:21if we're on our way to ridding this family's home of the wretched rats.
9:23:29 > 9:23:33Every year, a million people end up in A & E because of it,
9:23:33 > 9:23:37but how many of us know what the biggest cause of serious injuries
9:23:37 > 9:23:38in our homes is?
9:23:38 > 9:23:39Fire.
9:23:39 > 9:23:41Electrical problems.
9:23:41 > 9:23:43Water, maybe? Slipping over?
9:23:43 > 9:23:46People leaving lit cigarettes is one that you always hear about.
9:23:49 > 9:23:50Loose carpets.
9:23:50 > 9:23:51Fire.
9:23:51 > 9:23:54Knives or, erm, sort of kitchen appliances.
9:23:54 > 9:23:57I don't know, that's a crazy guess.
9:23:57 > 9:23:59The answer is falls,
9:23:59 > 9:24:02with stairs being the biggest culprit.
9:24:02 > 9:24:07And 27-year-old Natalie Morris from Rotherham found out first-hand
9:24:07 > 9:24:09just how dangerous they can be.
9:24:09 > 9:24:12I woke up about one o'clock in the morning.
9:24:13 > 9:24:16I've come out of the bedroom, with it being dark
9:24:16 > 9:24:19and probably being half asleep, I've misjudged it.
9:24:22 > 9:24:26I remember hitting the bottom.
9:24:26 > 9:24:31And I just remember just a real burning pain in my lower back.
9:24:31 > 9:24:35Went for an initial X-ray and that's when he said,
9:24:35 > 9:24:37"You've broken your back."
9:24:37 > 9:24:40And kind of all hell just let loose at that point.
9:24:43 > 9:24:45When he told me he had to do the operation,
9:24:45 > 9:24:49it involved putting rods through the vertebrae, which he made
9:24:49 > 9:24:54perfectly clear at any point he could hit a nerve and paralyse me.
9:24:56 > 9:24:59With her only option being never walking again,
9:24:59 > 9:25:02Natalie decided to have the risky surgery.
9:25:03 > 9:25:05The operation was a huge success.
9:25:12 > 9:25:14I'm just grateful that I was lucky.
9:25:19 > 9:25:22Falls on stairs can end and wreck lives but most of us
9:25:22 > 9:25:24don't realise the risks they pose.
9:25:26 > 9:25:30To demonstrate how dangerous they can be, we scoured the country
9:25:30 > 9:25:32for hazardous staircases.
9:25:32 > 9:25:35And the worst we found belongs to Sally in east London.
9:25:37 > 9:25:42- Hi.- Sally.- Nice to meet you.- Can we come in? Yes, come in.- Look at that.
9:25:42 > 9:25:47These are a beautiful set of stairs but practically not so good, Sally.
9:25:47 > 9:25:49No. It's a feature, design feature.
9:25:49 > 9:25:53But it's not great for day-to-day living and running up and down.
9:25:53 > 9:25:56It's quite obvious that there is no banister but then
9:25:56 > 9:25:59so many people came over and said how great it looked
9:25:59 > 9:26:02that maybe I could just live with it.
9:26:02 > 9:26:05Sally knows her stairs are unsafe but, like many of us,
9:26:05 > 9:26:08doesn't acknowledge the seriousness of the threat they pose.
9:26:08 > 9:26:09Oh.
9:26:11 > 9:26:15'Like hers, there are staircases all over Britain with slippy wood
9:26:15 > 9:26:19'treads, no banisters or guards and which are dangerously steep.'
9:26:19 > 9:26:22- You had to concentrate to do that, didn't you, Angellica?- Yeah.
9:26:22 > 9:26:26- It is really quite ominous and it is really steep.- It is. It's very steep.
9:26:26 > 9:26:28The treads are quite slippery as well
9:26:28 > 9:26:31so you ideally need some footwear with a bit of a grip.
9:26:31 > 9:26:34When I'm up, normally I wouldn't hang around at the top
9:26:34 > 9:26:38of the stairs too long because the longer I'm looking down them
9:26:38 > 9:26:42at where I've got to go, that just makes you more anxious.
9:26:42 > 9:26:45It's a dangerous staircase, Sally, isn't it?
9:26:45 > 9:26:49- They look great, though, don't they? - Yes, but - and it's a big but...
9:26:50 > 9:26:54To show how hazardous stairs can be to all of us,
9:26:54 > 9:26:58we've arranged for stuntman Riky Ash to throw himself down Sally's.
9:26:59 > 9:27:02We've also invited Dr Jonathan Tremmell,
9:27:02 > 9:27:04a leading specialist in fall injuries,
9:27:04 > 9:27:08to explain exactly what can happen if we fall down them.
9:27:08 > 9:27:12How do these stairs compare to your normal challenges?
9:27:12 > 9:27:15I could tumble off the side, there could be a serious injury there.
9:27:15 > 9:27:17Also the impact at the bottom,
9:27:17 > 9:27:18we have a window that I could go through.
9:27:18 > 9:27:21From a stunt point of view, this is probably the most dangerous
9:27:21 > 9:27:23staircase I will have fallen down.
9:27:23 > 9:27:27Seeing Riky fall down Sally's stairs will highlight the risks
9:27:27 > 9:27:29many of us run in our homes every day.
9:27:30 > 9:27:33What are your impressions from the top, looking down?
9:27:33 > 9:27:37I've performed this stunt over 50 times, various staircases.
9:27:37 > 9:27:40But every job is different so there may be an element of danger
9:27:40 > 9:27:43there, something may catch me out, one hopes it never will.
9:27:43 > 9:27:45- Do you want to adopt your position? - Yes.
9:27:45 > 9:27:47Five,
9:27:47 > 9:27:49four,
9:27:49 > 9:27:50three,
9:27:50 > 9:27:52two,
9:27:52 > 9:27:53one.
9:27:53 > 9:27:55Go.
9:27:56 > 9:27:58Ah!
9:27:58 > 9:28:00Oh...
9:28:00 > 9:28:02- Oh!- Ricky, you OK?- Yep.
9:28:02 > 9:28:06- Are you sure?- Yeah. I'm fine. Yeah.- OK.
9:28:06 > 9:28:09Sally, how was that? Was that a bit of a shock to see that?
9:28:09 > 9:28:12Er, yes, that was very scary.
9:28:12 > 9:28:14I thought he'd hurt himself, actually.
9:28:19 > 9:28:22That was not what I was expecting.
9:28:22 > 9:28:23It was lot different. Lot different.
9:28:23 > 9:28:26There's a lot of a slide in there rather than a tumble.
9:28:26 > 9:28:29It just goes to show you how dangerous that staircase is.
9:28:29 > 9:28:32You seemed to slide on your vertebrae, it was like you lifted...
9:28:32 > 9:28:34It didn't feel as though there was a tumble,
9:28:34 > 9:28:37it just felt as though, bang, that staircase just carried me.
9:28:40 > 9:28:42Ah! Oh...
9:28:42 > 9:28:45You can see an impact point there on the hip.
9:28:45 > 9:28:46You see the elbow going in there.
9:28:46 > 9:28:48Narrowly missing your head on the wall as well.
9:28:48 > 9:28:52- You were quite lucky not to go over the side there.- Yeah.
9:28:52 > 9:28:56So, yeah, left shoulder blade is basically taking
9:28:56 > 9:28:59the whole of your weight as you slid down the steps.
9:28:59 > 9:29:02The first thing that is different about Sally falling down
9:29:02 > 9:29:05the stairs, you'd have started from a standing position.
9:29:05 > 9:29:06If you tripped, you'd have gone headfirst,
9:29:06 > 9:29:09hit your head almost certainly on the corner of one of those steps.
9:29:09 > 9:29:12And could quit reasonably have caused a serious injury
9:29:12 > 9:29:15to your head or brain. You can fracture the skull but in fact,
9:29:15 > 9:29:18what is more likely to happen is you will end up with
9:29:18 > 9:29:21bleeding between the inside of the skull and the surface of the brain.
9:29:21 > 9:29:23And that puts pressure on the brain
9:29:23 > 9:29:27and too much pressure on the brain causes the brain to stop working.
9:29:27 > 9:29:30- That could have been you, Sally, couldn't it?- Dead. Brown bread.
9:29:32 > 9:29:37Head injuries can kill but a stair fall can also cause broken wrists,
9:29:37 > 9:29:42ankles, necks - the list is long and very painful.
9:29:42 > 9:29:46But for Sally, and everyone with dangerous staircases,
9:29:46 > 9:29:48there are some simple fixes.
9:29:48 > 9:29:52Putting in banisters, carpeting them and installing guards
9:29:52 > 9:29:56would reduce the risks Sally and millions of us are running.
9:29:56 > 9:29:58How has your thinking changed?
9:29:58 > 9:30:00I think I am of a mindset now where
9:30:00 > 9:30:04I really need to do something about it.
9:30:06 > 9:30:07Since our visit,
9:30:07 > 9:30:10Sally has had the designers around and she's picked out
9:30:10 > 9:30:14a toughened glass balustrade with curved timber handrail,
9:30:14 > 9:30:16which will make her stairs safer.
9:30:21 > 9:30:25In Swindon, pest control officer Justin Holloway is investigating
9:30:25 > 9:30:28a sewer system to try and find out how the rats
9:30:28 > 9:30:31in Mark and Lisa's home are getting in.
9:30:31 > 9:30:34With challenges like this, we've got the little tractor
9:30:34 > 9:30:38and that tractor unit just allows me to get this safely down
9:30:38 > 9:30:41the sewer system, quickly to the point I need to get to.
9:30:42 > 9:30:46Rats can chew through bricks, concrete and wood.
9:30:46 > 9:30:51They can get into all our homes, spreading dangerous diseases
9:30:51 > 9:30:54and causing damage that can lead to fires and flooding.
9:30:56 > 9:30:58What exactly are you looking for, Justin?
9:30:58 > 9:31:00We're looking to go up the sewer system
9:31:00 > 9:31:03and we're looking for any breaks in the sewer that have taken
9:31:03 > 9:31:06place through subsidence, where the clay pipes have been fractured
9:31:06 > 9:31:08and rats have leveraged that to get in.
9:31:10 > 9:31:12Oh, look at that!
9:31:12 > 9:31:14If you can see on that monitor,
9:31:14 > 9:31:18what you're looking at is the walls of the clay pipe.
9:31:18 > 9:31:22And it's supposed to be perfectly joined to another pipe.
9:31:22 > 9:31:24- Ah, so it's almost gone like that? - Exactly.
9:31:24 > 9:31:27So what do you expect the rat could do?
9:31:27 > 9:31:30It could hop up here - that's a possible entry point.
9:31:30 > 9:31:33That's significant, that's really significant.
9:31:33 > 9:31:36To work out where the break in the sewer pipe is in relation to
9:31:36 > 9:31:40the family's home, Justin lays the camera wire back along the street.
9:31:40 > 9:31:45Somewhere around about here is where this pipe shift's taken place.
9:31:45 > 9:31:47- And...- That's the living room.
9:31:47 > 9:31:50- That's where you just showed me where you dug up.- That's right.
9:31:50 > 9:31:51In that corner.
9:31:51 > 9:31:53What I also noticed - whether it's relevant -
9:31:53 > 9:31:55is a little bit of cracking, a subsidence there,
9:31:55 > 9:31:57it might be where the ground's dropped, I don't know.
9:31:57 > 9:32:01But normally if there was soil here, they would have broken straight out
9:32:01 > 9:32:03of the soil, gone vertically as well.
9:32:03 > 9:32:04But we've got this tarmac here,
9:32:04 > 9:32:06that may be a bit of a barrier at this point.
9:32:06 > 9:32:09They're just going straight underneath this lot,
9:32:09 > 9:32:12made a burrow straight underneath the property.
9:32:12 > 9:32:15So I think it's a conversation with the utility company next.
9:32:15 > 9:32:19But before Mark asks the utility company to take action,
9:32:19 > 9:32:20we need solid proof.
9:32:20 > 9:32:24So we are putting a camera under the lounge floorboards to try to
9:32:24 > 9:32:27confirm this as the rat's point of entry.
9:32:33 > 9:32:36A week later, we're back to see if the camera footage
9:32:36 > 9:32:38will confirm our suspicions.
9:32:40 > 9:32:43- Morning, guys.- Hi, Mark.- Come in.
9:32:43 > 9:32:45So, we'll just have a look.
9:32:51 > 9:32:55- There it is.- There you go. - That's the entry point, isn't it?
9:32:55 > 9:33:02This is exactly opposite the sewer issue we've got outside. Yep.
9:33:02 > 9:33:05And that's clearly a very interesting area.
9:33:05 > 9:33:08What's it like for you, seeing it visually?
9:33:08 > 9:33:10They've caused a big bane in my life, but actually
9:33:10 > 9:33:13when you see them on the TV like that, it doesn't seem so bad,
9:33:13 > 9:33:16it does feel like you're watching a wildlife programme.
9:33:16 > 9:33:20But obviously I don't want the wildlife programme in my front room.
9:33:20 > 9:33:24- But joking aside, this is a serious problem, isn't it?- Absolutely.
9:33:24 > 9:33:28This isn't a nature programme. This is somebody's home,
9:33:28 > 9:33:31if we look at these cameras we see cables, we see rats, we know
9:33:31 > 9:33:34they're chewing them, so it's not funny. It's got to be addressed.
9:33:34 > 9:33:37So at the moment we've got to do some serious blocking up work, that
9:33:37 > 9:33:40will hopefully be a great thing for the short term
9:33:40 > 9:33:43but we've got to keep our long-term aim on dealing with
9:33:43 > 9:33:47- the utility company, so hopefully we can get the ball rolling.- Yeah.
9:33:48 > 9:33:52- Thank you, Lewis.- Nice somersault! - He's excited that we found the rats!
9:33:52 > 9:33:56Aren't you? We've located where the rats are, we can sort this. Yeah!
9:33:58 > 9:34:02Justin gets to work blocking up the entry point with a reinforced
9:34:02 > 9:34:06concrete plug. But his efforts are only a short-term solution
9:34:06 > 9:34:08and won't keep out the rats forever.
9:34:09 > 9:34:12The utility company need to fix the pipe
9:34:12 > 9:34:15and after Mark contacted them, they've agreed to do just that.
9:34:20 > 9:34:25In Milton Keynes, illegal gas engineer Andrew Barnes has turned up
9:34:25 > 9:34:27to look at a boiler we've rigged with a fault.
9:34:27 > 9:34:31He's been taken to court for carrying out illegal gas work
9:34:31 > 9:34:35for years, but is still not registered with Gas Safe.
9:34:35 > 9:34:38So if he takes the protective cover off the front of the boiler,
9:34:38 > 9:34:41he is breaking the law - again.
9:34:41 > 9:34:42But he hasn't turned up alone.
9:35:01 > 9:35:05The protective cover is off, but if Johnny is Gas Safe registered,
9:35:05 > 9:35:07the work they are doing is legal.
9:35:07 > 9:35:09We need to find out more about Johnny.
9:35:13 > 9:35:17How long does it take you to learn all that then?
9:35:17 > 9:35:21- So Johnny is qualified?- Yes. - He's not learning from you?- No.- Ah.
9:35:21 > 9:35:26If Barnes is telling the truth, Johnny can legally work with gas
9:35:26 > 9:35:30but this is a man whose word cannot be trusted.
9:35:34 > 9:35:36Oh, cool.
9:35:36 > 9:35:38IB...
9:35:39 > 9:35:42- JIB. Oh, it's a tick. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
9:35:42 > 9:35:46- JIB?- JIB is the Joint Industrial Board, it doesn't give him
9:35:46 > 9:35:48registration to play with gas.
9:36:01 > 9:36:03So he's just said he's Gas Safe.
9:36:03 > 9:36:06- She asked him if he was and he said, "Yep."- He did.
9:36:06 > 9:36:09It was the Health and Safety Executive who took Barnes to court
9:36:09 > 9:36:12and whose investigation found that he deliberately
9:36:12 > 9:36:15and consistently pretended to be registered with Gas Safe
9:36:15 > 9:36:17and its predecessor, CORGI.
9:36:20 > 9:36:21You're...police?
9:36:23 > 9:36:24Oh, right.
9:36:30 > 9:36:31Who do you inspect for then?
9:36:36 > 9:36:38This man has no shame.
9:36:42 > 9:36:46It's impossible to believe a word Andrew Barnes says.
9:36:46 > 9:36:47Time to put him on the spot.
9:36:50 > 9:36:52Well, what an interesting morning, Andrew.
9:36:52 > 9:36:55Nice to meet you, Mark Clemmit from BBC's How Safe Is Your House?
9:36:55 > 9:36:57Johnny.
9:36:57 > 9:36:59Why are you doing it? Why are you doing it, Andrew?
9:36:59 > 9:37:03Why are you still taking work you're not qualified to do?
9:37:05 > 9:37:09- I am qualified.- You're not Gas Safe registered, are you?
9:37:09 > 9:37:11We checked just a couple of days ago.
9:37:11 > 9:37:15- You, Johnny, are you Gas Safe registered?- No.- You're not.
9:37:15 > 9:37:19- Why are you doing, mate?- Because I'm waiting to do Gas Safe register.
9:37:19 > 9:37:22You're not allowed to touch gas appliances
9:37:22 > 9:37:26- until you are Gas Safe registered. - I know.- You are breaking the law.
9:37:26 > 9:37:30- I know that. I know that. - Then why are you doing it?
9:37:30 > 9:37:34Well, I'm waiting to do it. I'm waiting to register.
9:37:34 > 9:37:37Then you must stop and get registered.
9:37:37 > 9:37:41I mean, you know you're on a three-year conditional discharge.
9:37:41 > 9:37:42Yeah.
9:37:42 > 9:37:46- This is serious stuff, mate.- I know. - Do you not accept the fact...- I do.
9:37:46 > 9:37:49..that people in the sanctity of their own homes need to trust
9:37:49 > 9:37:52- people like you? - I fully accept that.
9:37:52 > 9:37:56- I do fully accept that.- Is there anything you would like to say?
9:37:57 > 9:38:00There's nothing I can say, is there, really?
9:38:00 > 9:38:03Other than apologies all round.
9:38:03 > 9:38:06Why not sleep safely in your bed knowing you're not going to cause
9:38:06 > 9:38:08householders harm?
9:38:08 > 9:38:11I agree with you and it's coming within the next ten days.
9:38:11 > 9:38:13We checked with Gas Safe
9:38:13 > 9:38:17and they said they had no knowledge of Andrew Barnes applying to become
9:38:17 > 9:38:20registered with them during the course of our investigation.
9:38:21 > 9:38:24Well, in case you're in any doubt, there is the
9:38:24 > 9:38:28- "Becoming a Gas Safe registered engineer" forms.- I know all that.
9:38:28 > 9:38:32- I all know that.- You've got it all? You don't need that?- No.- OK.
9:38:32 > 9:38:34Following our investigation,
9:38:34 > 9:38:38Andrew Barnes finally got himself on the Gas Safe register.
9:38:38 > 9:38:41It's good news, as he can now be monitored to make sure
9:38:41 > 9:38:45his work is safe, but that doesn't mean he can get away
9:38:45 > 9:38:48with the illegal work he was doing whilst he was unregistered.
9:38:48 > 9:38:51We've made our footage available to Gas Safe and
9:38:51 > 9:38:54the Health and Safety Executive and if they decide to prosecute him,
9:38:54 > 9:38:57Barnes could be on his way to jail.