Carbon Monoxide kills!  It is a poisonous gas that may be produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, wood or natural gas, without adequate ventilation.  Carbon Monoxide is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas and if inhaled in sufficient quantities it may be lethal.

It produced as a result of incomplete combustion of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels. It is therefore essential that fires, boilers and cooking appliances using these types of fuels, together with the flues associated with them, are regularly serviced on an annual basis. Mains-wired and portable detectors are now available which give an audible warning of the presence of carbon monoxide (Make sure you choose a detector that complies with British Standard BS 7860).

There are signs that you can look out for which indicate incomplete combustion is occurring and may result in the production of CO;

• Yellow or orange rather than blue flames (except fuel effect fires or flueless appliances which display this colour flame)
• Soot or yellow/brown staining around or on appliances
• Pilot lights that frequently blow out
• Increased condensation inside windows