Death of Cornish Men Leads to Grill Warning
Cornwall Trading Standards are telling all owners of certain gas cookers to check they are safe after the death of two men.
A verdict of accidental death was returned at an inquest in Truro on the tragic deaths of Richard Smith and Kevin Branton.
They died at their home in Saltash in November 2010 when a grill emitted dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.
In 2009, 22 models of cooker were identified as posing a potential safety risk if the grill door is closed whilst the grill is in use, leading to a lethal build up of carbon monoxide in the air.
The cookers were all compliant with the relevant British Standard at the time they were manufactured and supplied. In all cases the product instructions made it clear that the grill should not be operated with the grill door closed.
'The seal on the grill door was such that by closing the door it prevented oxygen from entering the grill and therefore created the build-up of lethal carbon monoxide gas', explained Gary Webster from Cornwall Trading Standards.
When manufacturers recognised the safety issue in 2009 they and local Trading Standards services, instigated a national campaign to recall and modify the affected cookers. Safety alert notices were published in the national press and customer databases were used to directly contact those people who had purchased the affected models.
Gary added 'The campaign resulted in a large proportion of the products being traced and modified. However, there are inevitably some cookers which have proved to be untraceable. The fault can be rectified by a very simple modification and we would therefore urge households to check whether their own cooker is amongst the list of affected products and needs modification.'
'We cannot stress enough the importance that consumers register their purchase of any electrical or gas appliance with the manufacturer, so that potentially unsafe products can be traced easily and problems rectified.'
Our reporter Wendy Buckingham asked Gary more: CLICK HERE
The models causing concern are:
Flavel, Leisure, New world, and Belling gas cookers.
If you have one of the following Flavel or Leisure gas cookers (the model number is shown on the rating plate at the bottom front edge of the appliance) please call the Freephone Helpline number 0800 917 0555 or visit the Beko website. These cookers operate on either natural gas or bottled (LPG) gas.
Flavel DCGAP5LS
Flavel AP5LDW
Flavel Milano ML5NDS
Leisure CM10NRK
Leisure CM10NRC
Leisure AL6NDW
Leisure CM101NRCP
Leisure CM101NRKP
If you have one of the New World or Belling gas cookers listed below (the model number is shown on the data plate at the bottom front edge of the appliance) please call the Freephone Helpline number 0800 110 5728 or visit the Belling or New World Appliances websites.
New World 50 TWLM SV LPG
New World 50 WLM WH LPG
New World 50 WLM SV LPG
New World 50 TWLM WH LPG
Belling G755 White
Belling G755 Anthracite
Belling GT755 White
Belling Country Chef 100G Silver
Belling Country Chef 100G Anthracite
Anyone with one of these models that have not been modified, or not sure that it has been modified, should contact the helpline for further advice. Likewise anyone with any doubts about the make/model of their cooker should also call the helpline.