British Gas engineer fired after allegedly taking discarded boilers to sell on eBay

A long-serving British Gas engineer has lost his unfair dismissal claim after an employment tribunal ruled that the energy company was justified in firing him for taking discarded boilers from customers' properties and attempting to sell them on eBay.

Former engineer Philip Smith argued that the boilers had been thrown away and believed he had done nothing wrong by collecting them, according to a report by The Telegraph. However, the tribunal found that his actions breached company policies and damaged the trust required for his role.

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The case centred on several old boilers that Smith removed from skips or waste piles after carrying out installation work. Police alleged that instead of disposing of the units through approved channels, he retained them and listed some for sale on the online marketplace eBay.

British Gas launched an internal investigation after concerns were raised about the missing equipment. During disciplinary proceedings, the company concluded that Smith had acted dishonestly and dismissed him for gross misconduct.

Smith challenged the decision before an employment tribunal, claiming customers had effectively abandoned the boilers and that he had not intended to steal company property. He also argued that dismissal was an excessive punishment given his years of service.

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The tribunal, however, sided with British Gas. It was accepted that the company had conducted a reasonable investigation and was entitled to conclude that Smith's conduct amounted to misconduct serious enough to justify dismissal. The ruling emphasised that employers are entitled to expect staff to follow established procedures for handling customer property and waste materials.