Professional Builders Merchant

To have 105 cases of death and illness suffered is totally unacceptable. The GST is to be congratulated on bringing its findings to public notice and to campaign to get ordinary people protected.

Tenants have a right to expect their homes to be safeguarded through proper checking and servicing of cookers, boilers and burners, but they should also be aware that relying on a CO alarm checked only for battery life is a mistake – whatever the length of the manufacturer’s guarantee.  CO alarms’ sensors must also be tested regularly, and the battery test button doesn’t do that.  I invented Detectagas – which does test the sensor - to ensure that CO alarms can be relied on to save lives.  Terrible results like these, measured in human suffering, can be turned around with a few simple steps.

The GST says the UK needs to increase the proportion of households with a CO alarm, given the role of alarms in saving lives. Of all the CO incidents recorded, it found that no incident involving an alarm resulted in a fatality or serious injury.  I would go further and push for battery and sensor testing for alarms as standard, alongside a good appliance service regimen.