Earby family's lucky escape after engineer discovers carbon monoxide leak (From Craven Herald)

Earby family's lucky escape after engineer discovers carbon monoxide leak

2:40pm Saturday 30th January 2010 in

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A mother and her two children are lucky to be alive after their home became a carbon monoxide death trap because of a faulty gas boiler.

Tina Broughton, her son Jake, 12, and daughter Holly, 15, had no idea they were being slowly poisoned until the boiler and gas appliances in their Earby home were given an annual service.

Heating engineer Darren Head, from Skipton, went along on Wednesday last week to service the boiler and seek out a suspected gas leak at the rented premises in Victoria Mews.

He found the leak and discovered the gas flue from the boiler had come away from the outlet. Deadly carbon monoxide was seeping into the room and making Tina, Jake and Holly ill. The gas leak was adding to their suffering.

Jake’s bedroom is above the kitchen where the boiler is located. He was the most sick, with severe headaches and lethargy which Mrs Broughton could trace as far back as September.

“We could easily all be dead,” said the distressed mother, who had also suffered headaches and sickness. “Airedale Hospital kept him in for two nights and would not allow him home until the house was made safe.”

Mrs Broughton, a single parent, said both children were gifted middle-distance athletes and members of Blackburn Harriers and being outdoors a lot may have helped them.

Holly was not as sick as her brother because she had spent two weeks over Christmas in the Isle of Man and had not been exposed to the fumes for as long.

But it was enough to affect her performance at the North of England Cross Country Championships in Blackburn on Saturday when she finished way below the position she was expecting.

“When Darren came to do the check I told him I was glad to see him,” said Mrs Broughton.

“I said there was a strange smell and I thought there was a gas leak. He found the leak and had to close the boiler down because it needed a new part.

“On Saturday he came back to fit the part. We had to go out, but when we came home he said there was a serious problem with carbon monoxide.

“He had fixed the boiler and the leak to make the appliance safe and informed gas regulator Gas Safe and the Health and Safety Executive about the fumes. He said they would probably want to do blood tests.

“I rang NHS Direct who told me to get to Airedale Hospital. We were seen straight away and all put on pure oxygen.

“Luke was found to have a reading of 15 in his blood, four days after the boiler had been switched off, while my reading was 12 and Holly’s three. The paediatrician said he had never seen such high readings so long after being exposed to carbon monoxide.

“All I really know is that if Darren hadn’t come to service the boiler on Wednesday and turned it off, we could be dead now.

“I used to look on the internet to try to find out what was making us feel so ill, particularly Jake who I was really worried about. I didn’t even think of carbon monoxide poisoning.”

The Broughtons are now back in their fume-free home and have bought an electronic carbon monoxide detector with an alarm recommended by the National Grid.

They also recommend householders have gas appliances checked annually and to make inquiries if they feel ill for no reason. Darren said he was relieved the family was recovering.

“I was really worried about Tina’s son. Carbon monoxide is odourless. You don’t know it’s there unless you test for it,” he said.

Christopher Stodart-Hall, letting agent for Mrs Broughton’s home, said: “We are absolutely delighted to hear that Mrs Broughton and her family are all recovering well.

“The leak was indeed found during an annual gas safety check. We cannot praise Darren enough for his professionalism and expert skill.

“We have also had lengthy, regular liaison with the owners of this Victoria Mews property who are equally distressed by the incident. They had lived in this property prior to Mrs Broughton.

“We would also like to stress the importance to all landlords for the need to have gas safety checks carried. Investigations are continuing into what could have caused this.”