A woman is believed to have been left ill after a gas leak went undetected for months.
Linda Clayton was left feeling tired and sick with no known cause.
But after smelling gas, her husband Kevin Clayton called out engineers to their Lockwood home who discovered a corroded gas pipe.
Mr Clayton, said: “He told us it was the worst he’d ever seen.”
Mr Clayton grew concerned when he returned home to a smell of gas.
In January they called a gas engineer who checked the boiler and cooker but couldn’t find a fault.
Mr Clayton said: “The smell continued but we were told there was nothing wrong except the pressure would keep dropping on the boiler so we’d have to increase it. Now we know it was because there was a gas pipe leaking.
“Because I was coming and going more than Linda the smell hit me.
“She doesn’t have a good sense of smell, but she’s been unwell for some time. We thought it was from an old chest infection, but she’d be sleeping for a few hours a day and she was feeling sick.
“On Friday it got really bad, she was being sick and had blood shot eyes. We think it was carbon monoxide poisoning.”
The couple called their gas supplier EOn who reported it to Northern Gas Networks (NGN) which manages external gas pipes. Investigations found the internal gas pipe behind a skirting board was severely corroded.
The gas supply was turned off and Mrs Clayton has began to feel better.
NGN say engineers carried out “extensive investigations using specialist equipment to detect methane gas and carbon monoxide and found the gas escape was located on the property’s internal pipework.”
NGN said: “The engineer advised Mr and Mrs Bentley to contact Kirklees Council to arrange for a Gas Safe Registered engineer to visit the property and carry out the repairs.
“No trace of carbon monoxide was found at the property, however a carbon monoxide safety briefing was delivered to Mr and Mrs Clayton, which NGN deliver to all customers following gas emergency call-outs.
“Kirklees Council have since confirmed to NGN they will be returning today (Tuesday May 2) to carry out the necessary repairs.”
The couple want to thank Imran Safdar at the Premier in Lockwood, who after hearing of their plight gave them some groceries as they were unable to cook.
What to do if you smell gas:
Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They will send an engineer within an hour. Until the engineer arrives it’s important to open all windows, extinguish any naked flames and ensure you don’t turn on any appliances or switches inside the house.
Visit www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/gas-emergencies/infographic
