1 in 5 Welsh Residents Avoid Gas Safety Checks Fearing Tradespeople May Bring Covid Into Their Home

New Study Reveals Areas of the UK That’re the Most and the Least Gas Safe 

• 89% of surveyed respondents don’t check their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms as often as the weekly recommendation by UK fire and rescue services.
• 40% of residents in Northern Ireland have admitted to never having a gas safety check. 
• Welsh respondents had the largest COVID concerns, with 22% jeopardising their home’s gas safety as they fear tradespeople may bring in the virus. 
• 13.2% of East Midlands residents who didn’t have a gas safety check this past year couldn’t afford to. 
• On average, 12.3% of survey respondents never test their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, rising to 17.1% in Northern Ireland. 

More than a quarter of UK residents don’t have carbon monoxide detectors installed in their current homes, according to new research.

Online boiler company BOXT surveyed 2,000 UK residents to reveal how gas safe the public are. Gas safety is especially important now, as UK residents start turning on their boilers and gas appliances following a warm summer.

In the study, on average 12.3% of respondents admitted to never testing their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, rising to 17.1% in Northern Ireland. 11.9% of Welsh residents didn’t even know where their alarms were.

2 in 5 Northern Ireland residents have never had their gas appliances gas safety checked. Only 48.6% of NI property owners get a gas safety check annually, the recommended frequency. In comparison, 70.7% of UK residents overall have a gas safety check carried out each year.

Worryingly, 1 in 5 people in Northern Ireland would have no idea what to do in the instance of a gas leak. Only 22.9% of Northern Ireland residents would recognise the main six symptoms of exposure to the fumes.

Welsh respondents had the largest COVID concerns, with 22% avoiding gas safety checks as they fear tradespeople may bring in the virus. 18% of Welsh respondents were not aware that gas safety checks were needed in their homes.

Of those East Midlands residents who hadn’t had their gas appliances safety checked within the past year, 12.4% blamed COVID. The cost was also cited as the main reason for not having a gas safety check, with 13.2% of respondents in the East Midlands stating they could not afford one.

Andy Kerr, co-founder of BOXT said: “Carbon monoxide leaks are easy to miss if you don’t have a working detector, as you can’t see, smell, or taste the poisonous fumes.”

If your home has a fuel-burning appliance, you should fit a carbon monoxide detector in every room where the fuel burns. However, homes that entirely run on electricity aren’t required to install this detector.

“While gas and carbon monoxide poisonings are extremely serious, you can minimise the risk by conducting regular maintenance of gas appliances, smoke alarms, and carbon monoxide detectors. These safety checks take little time and effort but can save your life.”

Andy continued: “Ensure you get your gas appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer and check their Gas Safe ID card for reassurance of their qualifications.

“If defective, gas appliances could cause a dangerous gas leak, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Unlike carbon monoxide, utility gas has a chemical added to it that smells like sulfur, so leaks often create a noticeable scent.”

Here are some useful tips from BOXT engineers in the event of a leak:

• Prioritise leaving the property and calling the National Gas Emergencies helpline on 0800 111 999 from outside the property.
• If it’s safe to do so, open all doors and windows, and shut off the gas at the mains valve prior to leaving.
• If you or any members of your household feel unwell, suspect carbon monoxide or gas poisoning and visit the hospital straight away.
• Follow advice from the National Gas helpline if you feel well, and wait outside the property for their arrival.
• Do not turn light switches on or off after noticing a gas leak, as a simple spark could cause built up gas to ignite.
• Do not use any other electrical items within or next to the property, including mobile phones, chargers, flashlights or electric doorbells.
• Do not smoke or carry an open flame in or near the property.

Don’t return to your house until the leak’s source is found and fixed by a Gas Safe registered professional.