1 in 6 never get their gas appliances checked

Nearly one in six Brits don’t ever get their gas appliances checked, and many of those who haven’t had them checked in the past year say it’s because they didn’t want people in their home during the pandemic, according to research from BOXT for Gas Safety Week 2021.

A further 13 per cent of people didn’t know they needed to get their appliances checked, and 11 per cent didn’t think it was necessary. Cost was given as the reason for this by nearly 9 per cent of the survey respondents.

More than one-quarter of Brits don’t have a CO alarm in their home, nearly 12 per cent of respondents said they never test their smoke and CO alarms, and nearly 8 per cent don’t even know where their alarms are.

Just over 12 per cent said they would have no idea what to do if there was a carbon monoxide escape and only one-quarter would recognise the six main symptoms of CO exposure.

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

“Every second counts after being exposed to carbon monoxide. So, you must be able to recognise the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning and know how to respond in the event of a leak.”

BOXT commissioned a survey of 2,000 UK residents on 25-27 August 2021.