Inquest hears of previous fatalities in probe over faulty gas cooker tragedies

OTHER fatalities were linked to faulty gas cookers before five people died in separate incidents in Cornwall from carbon monoxide poisoning, an inquest has heard.

The deaths in Doncaster, Kent, Belfast and Cork were all reported to the authorities in January 2009 – more than 18 months before friends Richard Smith, 30, and Kevin Branton, 34, died in Saltash in November 2010.

In February 2013, husband and wife John, 90, and Audrey Cook, 86, and their daughter Maureen, 47, were also found dead inside their static caravan in Camborne.

Cornwall Coroner’s Court heard all five died from carbon monoxide poisoning and had fatal levels of carboxyhemoglobin in their blood.

Both Mr Smith and Mr Branton and the Cook family had Beko Plc cookers installed in their homes and were using the grill with the door closed.

The inquest heard the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) – the predecessor to the current Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) – had been informed in January 2009 of other deaths linked to gas cookers.

Reading from documents supplied by BEIS, Cornwall assistant coroner Geraint Williams said the department was informed of three fatalities caused by householders using a grill with a door closed in Doncaster and Kent, and an incident in Cork, Ireland.

“BERR confirmed they would be pushing for an amendment to the European standard EN3011,” Mr Williams said. “BERR contacted Hertfordshire trading standards and Knowsley trading standards saying they had been made aware of the gas cooker incidents involving manufacturers in their areas, Beko and Glendimplex, and asking whether they had been contacted by the manufacturer. BERR urged a product recall or product rework.”

Mr Williams said BERR was further informed on February 3, 2009 by the Irish authorities of a double fatality in Belfast and shared information relating to the deaths in Doncaster, Kent and Cork. Fresh inquests into the deaths of Mr Smith and Mr Branton were ordered by the High Court in 2015.

The court heard the cookers used by in the Cornwall fatalities were manufactured by Beko Plc’s Turkish parent company Arcelik. The hearing was adjourned until today.