GAS safety chiefs have welcomed a court decision to jail two men over a faulty gas fire.
And they said it would emphasise the need to make gas safety a top priority - a campaign launched in Huddersfield after the tragic death of 10-year-old Fartown boy Dominic Rodgers.
British Gas says the conviction and sentencing of a landlord and his handyman, whose breaching of safety rules led to the death of two teenagers in Norfolk, sent a clear signal to landlords who try to cut corners on safety work.
Stanley Rogers, 62, and Barry Stone, 40, had both admitted two counts of manslaughter.
At Bury St Edmunds Crown Court, landlord Rogers was given a five-year prison sentence and ordered to pay £5,000 costs. Stone, a handyman who fitted the fire at the flat, was sentenced to three years in prison.
Michael Frosdick, 19, and Keith Reynolds, 17, were overcome by carbon monoxide at the flat they rented from Rogers in Kitchener Road, Yarmouth, last year.
Chris Bielby, head of quality and standards at British Gas, said: "It's tragic that it takes cases like this to alert people to the care they have to take in installing gas appliances.
"All gas appliances have to be installed and maintained by competent, trained and qualified engineers.
"An audible carbon monoxide detector which meets British Standards is a good back-up and we support Michael and Keith's parents in their efforts to get more people to install these.
"But they are no substitute for regular safety checks by competent engineers registered with the Council of Registered Gas Installers (CORGI)."
More information on carbon monoxide is available on the British Gas website at www.house.co.uk/safety
