Company fined after electrical works leave north Wales petrol station in dangerous state

A Bolton company has been fined £20,000 after electrical work left a petrol station on Anglesey in a dangerous condition.

On Tuesday (December 9th), Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court ordered Derby Firelec Ltd to pay the fine, together with a victim surcharge of £2,000.

The company’s director, Mahammadrafik Patel, 65, was responsible for carrying out the work at Dyffryn Garage, Fali, despite not having the appropriate qualifications.

He was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid community service and pay £778.53 in costs and a victim surcharge.

The electrical installation was not earthed and the site was left unsafe.

During sentencing the Magistrates warned that the consequences of the actions “could be catastrophic”.

The case was brought by the Anglesey Trading Standards department, and Derby Firelec Ltd.

Mr Patel entered a not guilty plea in October 2025 in relation to a number of charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The court heard that Mr Patel had carried out work on the petrol station on 31 January 2024 and 12 February 2024.

He claimed he had submitted an Electrical Installation report which stated that the electrical work on the site was safe.

However, that was not the case and faults needed to be addressed immediately.

The Anglesey Trading Standards Department, which is the Petroleum Enforcement Authority, received a copy of the Electrical Installation Report on 13 February 2024.

Doubts were later raised about the competence of the electrical engineer who had completed the report as it contained a number of errors, as well as incomplete sections.

It soon became clear that Mr Patel, trading under the name of Derby Firelec Ltd, had not been approved under his membership of the Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) to carry out any type of electrical work in a Hazardous Area of ​​the petrol station, nor did he have Compex 7 and 8 competence.

Mr Patel and Derby Firelec Ltd claimed that they had informed the owners of the petrol station that his eligibility had expired and that he had not yet received the results of his last test, but he failed to pass that test.

Nevertheless, and despite being aware of the dangers, he went ahead to submit a report even though the electrical grounding problem on the site had not been rectified. Mr Patel said he regretted his actions and accepted he had made a mistake.

Councilor Nicola Roberts, Anglesey Council’s Planning and Public Protection portfolio holder, said: “This was a very serious case and I am grateful to our Trading Standards team for ensuring that Derby Firelec Ltd and Mr Patel were brought to justice.

“I hope that this substantial fine will send a clear message that work practices that are below the expected standard and unsafe will not be tolerated.

“I would also like to encourage businesses to always ensure that employees who do work on their behalf have the necessary qualifications and certificates to do the work.”

Mr Patel has now passed the tests and is now qualified to do this type of work.