CORGI OFFERS ADVICE TO HOLIDAYMAKERS FOLLOWING CORFU TRAGEDY
Following the recent tragic deaths of two children in the Greek holiday island of Corfu, the UK’s gas safety watchdog has issued a warning to holidaymakers to keep alert of gas dangers at all times. Christianne Shepherd, aged seven and her brother Robert, aged six, from West Yorkshire, were found dead in a hotel room yesterday (Thursday).
A coroner confirmed that they died from Carbon Monoxide poisoning following post-mortem examinations. Carbon Monoxide poisoning kills around 50 people each year and is caused by faulty fuel appliances such as gas boilers or wood-burning stoves.
The gas safety watchdog, CORGI, today urged all UK holiday companies to ensure that the accommodation they provide meets the stringent UK safety standards rather than those of the holiday destination. CORGI’s Chief Executive, Mike Thompson said: “UK laws insist that all rented accommodation, including holiday lets and hotels, which have gas appliances, are checked annually by a CORGI registered installer. In many other countries, similar gas safety laws don’t exist. Holiday companies must do more to protect their customers by ensuring that their accommodation is checked regularly by qualified installers and that they fit audible carbon monoxide poisoning detectors in the properties.”
If holidaymakers are concerned about the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, there are a number of things that they can do to keep themselves safe:
Top tips to keep you safe while on holiday
Check what gas safety precautions your tour operator has in place
· Check if there is an audible Carbon Monoxide detector fitted in the accommodation
· If there isn’t a detector fitted, take your own. Make sure it is meets British standards, is battery-powered and has an audible alarm and place it near the appliance or in the bedroom
· Remember the symptoms such as nausea, tiredness and headaches. If you suffer from these whilst indoors, but feel better outside seek urgent medical attention
· Look out for signs on the appliance such as black marks or stains, lazy orange instead of crisp blue pilot light flames and excessive condensation in the room