Households with log burners or fireplaces are being given free appliances this winter.
Log burners can be dangerous if undetected CO is leaking (Image: Getty)
Households which have log burners or open fireplaces are being offered free appliances this winter in a bid to protect them from a potentially fatal problem.
Northern Gas Networks, which provides the north of England’s 24-hour gas emergency service, is giving away 1,000 free carbon monoxide alarms this winter and is urging people who have log burners or open fires to claim one.
It says that carbon monoxide – known as CO – is produced by faulty domestic heating and cooking appliances and is particularly dangerous because it’s a poisonous, colourless, tasteless and odourless gas.
On average, every year around 30-40 people die due to CO poisoning in England & Wales, with a further 4,000 attending A&E with symptoms of CO poisoning.
Confirmed CO cases in NGN’s patch, which covers most of Yorkshire, the North East and northern Cumbria, are continuing to grow – increasing from 1,978 in 2022 to 3,025 last year, a 52% rise. At the same time, wood burners, log burners and other fired heating appliances are rising in popularity.
Laura Ratcliffe, Social Strategy Programme Manager at Northern Gas Networks, said: “Carbon monoxide poisoning cases can rise in the winter when cookers, fires, boilers and wood burners are being used more, which is why we’re urging people to get in the know about CO and claim a free alarm.
“Similar to a smoke alarm, CO alarms are activated when CO is detected in the air and will beep and flash to alert you of the danger. They’re small and easy to install, and you should have at least one on each floor. If you have a gas fire, log burner or open fire, it’s a good idea to have one in the room it’s in too.”
Symptoms of CO poisoning include headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse or loss of consciousness. If you think you may have carbon monoxide poisoning, immediately turn off the appliance you think may be causing it, call the 24/7 National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, open windows and doors, leave the building and seek urgent medical advice.
Even though you can’t see or smell CO, these are the signs to look for which could suggest it’s in your home:
– Your gas flame is more orange and yellow than blue
– Soot or yellow-brown staining around your appliance
– Condensation on the window close to the appliance
– Pilot light blowing out regularly
If you see any of these things, your appliance should be checked by a registered Gas Safe Engineer. For this, call 0800 408 5500 or visit https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk to find a registered engineer near you.
The giveaway closes at 11.59pm on Thursday February 26, 2026. No purchase is necessary, and you need to be one of the first 1,000 entries to successfully complete the survey.
To enter the giveaway for a free CO detector, go to https://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/network-supply/co-hero-survey
