Check gas appliances, urge NLC

North Lanarkshire Council says residents often take the safety of their boilers and appliances for granted. But if they’re not maintained, they can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning.

In the last year alone, 333 people were injured and four died as a result of gas related incidents.

John Apperson, development and support manager at NLC, said: “It’s important that gas appliances are safely checked every year and regularly serviced to help keep residents safe. In North Lanarkshire we have an effective and efficient gas safety inspection process in place for our properties. The law requires us to ensure all gas safety inspections are carried out in our homes and properties within a year from the last service.

“We rely on our tenants to provide access to the engineers who are required to carry out this work. We manage to gain access to 100 per cent of our homes each year however, some tenants do not allow access which results in our local homes team implementing forced entry procedures. We would encourage all tenants to keep to the pre-arranged service dates or call in to book a more suitable date.

“Every year thousands of people across the UK are diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a highly poisonous gas. You can’t see it, taste it or smell it, but it can kill quickly with no warning. Don’t take the risk.” For more, contact 01698 524767.