One in six UK homes, equivalent to 4.28 million households, has an unsafe gas appliance, new research suggests. Gas safety organisation Gas Safe Register compiled the study, based on visits by its qualified engineers to 120,000 homes over the last four years.
The study has been published to coincide with the fourth annual Gas Safety Week, which runs from September 15-21 to raise awareness of the dangers associated with faulty appliances.
The research indicates that registered gas engineers prevented at least 68,000 homes from deadly gas incidents, such as gas explosions, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning, over the past year.
“After listening to our engineers tell us about the life-threatening incidents they regularly prevent, it’s surprising there haven’t been more fatalities.”
Russell Krämer, Gas Safe Register
During the same period, over half of engineers, or 57%, found a dangerous gas boiler, cooker or fire that had to be turned off immediately because of a risk to life or to property. Around half of those appliances were considered dangerous due to a lack of regular servicing.
Areas most at risk across the country include Birmingham, where 32% of homes had an unsafe gas appliance, Edinburgh with 31%, Cardiff with 29%, Manchester with 29%, Norwich with 29%, Ipswich 28%, Coventry 27%, and Milton Keynes 25%.
Meanwhile, UK Gas Distribution Networks, which covers the National Grid, Northern Gas Networks, Scotia Gas Networks and Wales & West Utilities, found more than 70,000 unsafe gas appliances at emergency callouts attended over the past year.
Russell Krämer, chief executive for Gas Safe Register, said: “After listening to our engineers tell us about the life-threatening incidents they regularly prevent, it’s surprising there haven’t been more fatalities. This week, we want to encourage people to regularly get their gas appliances safety checked by a registered engineer.”
Also marking Gas Safety Week, TrustMark, the government-endorsed “find a tradesman scheme”, and the Building & Engineering Services Association, have announced an awareness scheme to stamp out bogus gas installers.
Thousands of unregistered gas fitters work in the UK carrying out over 250,000 jobs each year. Apart from putting lives at risk, their unsafe work costs around £100m a year to rectify, according to figures from B&ESA.
Roderick Pettigrew, chief executive of B&ES, commented: “Every week families and especially OAPs fall victim to bogus gas fitters who don’t have the skills or qualifications to work on gas appliances, which is specialist work and potentially very dangerous. Anyone you are thinking of hiring to carry out gas work in your home must be Gas Safe registered and you should always ask to see their Gas Safe Register identity card and contact the Register immediately on 0800 408 5500 if you have any concerns or if you think the gas fitter is using a falsified ID card.”
B&ES runs the Heating Helpline free advice service to help members of the public find a qualified, registered gas installer. All recommended installers are also members of TrustMark.
