Safety warning after rise in carbon monoxide emergency calls in Birmingham

Engineers from Cadent, the region’s gas emergency service, responded to 629 CO-related jobs in Coventry in 2023/24 – a 17 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

Only Birmingham recorded a higher number of calls than Coventry.

The trend highlights the critical need to continue to raise awareness of CO, and for home and other property owners not to forget annual checks of any fuel-burning appliance, such as central heating boilers and log burners.

The statistics have been released during Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week. Exposure to carbon monoxide can cause serious health issues. There are around 40 deaths attributed to CO poisoning in England and Wales every year.

Elliott Nelson, West Midlands Network Director, Cadent, said: “On the one hand, it is encouraging that people are contacting the gas emergency service if they suspect carbon monoxide. It is exactly the right thing to do, to ring 0800 111 999* immediately.

“However, we are also concerned that this is further evidence of another worrying trend. We commissioned research this year which told us that almost 30 per cent of people are only getting their boilers serviced every two years, or less often than that.

“This is a big worry – I can’t stress enough just how important it is to get your boiler serviced every year.

“You can’t smell carbon monoxide, and you can’t see, taste or hear it. An annual safety check, by a Gas Safe registered engineer, is your best way to protect you and your family.”

Cadent invested £3.6m in 2023/24 on carbon monoxide education and awareness campaigns, including award-winning activities for schools. Cadent-funded classroom-based programmes reached more than 120,000 children last year.

There is evidence to indicate that awareness of CO has more than doubled in some areas Cadent works in.

Through its partnerships with local community centres, fire services, and others, and through its own engineers’ visits to homes, Cadent distributed more than 109,000 carbon monoxide alarms last year – for free – in high-risk areas.

CO alarms can also be purchased through many online retailers and in lots of shops, such as DIY stores and supermarkets.

Cadent is urging all property owners to get their gas appliances serviced every year, by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

What is carbon monoxide and how to protect against it?

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that can come from anything which burns carbon-based fuels, such as gas, oil, wood or petrol.

It poses a serious threat to health if exposure occurs and, each year, there are around 40 deaths in England and Wales from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Symptoms are often mistaken for flu or hangover, as they are similar – including headache, nausea, dizziness, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.

Other signs that CO may be present are that a gas flame burning orange-yellow, instead of blue; the pilot light frequently going off; excess condensation in rooms with gas appliances; and soot/yellow-brown staining around an appliance.

Carbon monoxide alarms are recommended for every room where there is such a fuel burning appliance. These must be tested regularly, and check that they remain in date (there will be a date printed on the alarm, to indicate when it should be replaced).