North Cardiff retailer fined over LPG storage safety

A North Cardiff retailer has been ordered to pay over £2,500 after failing to comply with health and safety notices relating to the storage of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders at his business premises in Whitchurch.

Roger Walters, of Roger Walters of Whitchurch and Roger Walters Interiors, Merthyr Road, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 3 September after failing to comply with a Health and Safety Prohibition Notice and a Health and Safety Improvement Notice served by Shared Regulatory Services.

The prosecution followed a complaint from a member of the public in April 2025 regarding the storage of stock and LPG cylinders, including butane and propane, at Roger Walters's hardware shop.

Unannounced inspections by Shared Regulatory Services officers found excessive quantities of propane and butane cylinders being stored inside the shop near combustible materials and next to the shop’s front entrance, which at the time was the only way in or out of the building.

Officers also discovered LPG cylinders being stored immediately outside the front entrance in an unsecured manner and not in accordance with industry codes of practice.

Although a storage cage had been provided in the rear car park for additional cylinders, the surrounding area contained potentially combustible materials, significantly increasing the risk of fire or explosion in a densely populated area.

The court heard that employees had not been given adequate information, instruction or training about the safe storage and handling of LPG cylinders and were unaware of the risks.

Following the inspections, Roger Walters was served with a Health and Safety Prohibition Notice restricting the quantity of LPG cylinders that could be stored inside the premises.

Subsequent visits found the notice had been breached. He was also served with a Health and Safety Improvement Notice requiring improvements to LPG storage arrangements by 31 May 2025. However, suitable arrangements were not put in place until December 2025.

In his summing up, the District Judge noted that while no actual harm had occurred, there had been a significant risk and likelihood of serious consequences arising from the unsafe storage arrangements.

Ed Stubbs, Cardiff Council cabinet member with responsibility for Shared Regulatory Services, said: “If LPG cylinders were to explode, they can cause significant damage and while fortunately no one was harmed in this case, the court recognised the significant risks created by the storage arrangements found at these premises".

Roger Walters was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay £1,077 towards the local authority’s costs, along with a victim surcharge of £480.

Shared Regulatory Services provides environmental health, trading standards and licensing enforcement services across Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend.