Shropshire residents urged to test carbon monoxide alarms
Households across Shropshire are being urged to stay safe from carbon monoxide (CO) this summer after new data revealed that the majority of CO alarms in homes were not tested last year.
According to insight from the Carbon Monoxide Research and Analytics (CORA) platform, which is supported by Gas Distribution Networks Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN, and Wales & West Utilities, 95 per cent of CO alarms were not tested at all in 2024. Analysed from over 50,000 digital (Internet of Things IoT) alarms, the results show that thousands of households are putting themselves at risk of CO poisoning every day.
While CO is often thought to have more associations to winter, there are several reasons why CO can be a threat during the summer. Barbecues, for example, can give off CO in an enclosed space, even after it’s gone out. Therefore, they should always be used in well-ventilated areas, and not inside a home, tent or enclosed area.
Similarly, pizza ovens, camping stoves, camping heaters and lanterns can emit CO and cause similar dangers to individuals if used in an enclosed space.
Failing to test a CO alarm is particularly dangerous, as the gas cannot be seen, smelt, heard and doesn’t have a taste. As such, it is very difficult to know if CO is present in the home. Some symptoms of CO poisoning – including headaches, nausea, dizziness, and breathlessness – can be mistaken for other illnesses, like food poisoning, a cold or a hangover. Other symptoms include collapsing and a loss of consciousness.
With school holidays now in full flow, Cadent is now urging households in the Shropshire area to test their CO alarms following the release of the data.
Phil Burrows, Head of Customer Vulnerability and Social Impact, said: “It is really concerning to hear that most households are not testing their CO alarms. We cannot stress enough the dangers households could be putting themselves into if they either do not own a CO alarm or are not testing to see if it works.
“Summer is a dangerous season where CO is concerned. People may be unknowingly at risk of CO if they go camping, host BBQs or simply stay in overseas accommodation which don’t include CO alarms as standard. It’s important to take your CO alarm with you when you are travelling and test it at least once a month. A simple action of pressing a button for a couple of seconds could save your life.”
Cadent supplies free CO alarms for eligible households across many of its Vulnerability Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) funded programmes. The VCMA is funded by Ofgem and is designed to support households living in vulnerable situations and increasing the awareness of carbon monoxide (CO), through projects that go above and beyond Cadent’s business-as-usual activities. Alarms are distributed by the majority of Cadent’s partners, including at its 350 Centres for Warmth across the country.
To find out more, please visit https://cadentgas.com/carbon-monoxide-advice.
