Every year over 40 per cent of UK residents fail to have their gas appliances serviced and are putting themselves and their families at risk of the deadly, highly poisonous, carbon monoxide gas.

North Lanarkshire Council has over 33,000 gas services to carry out each year and is urging its tenants to provide access to engineers to ensure their appliances continue to operate safely and efficiently.

The local authority is backing the national safety campaign – Gas Safety Week – which runs from Monday 14th to Sunday 18th September.

Lynsey Smith, senior service delivery manager, said: “Having your gas appliances checked is not always a top priority for homeowners, but it should be. The dangers of not having appliances serviced annually are real and it’s worrying that some people ignore the safety advice and don’t have them checked every year.

“As a responsible landlord we’ve been able to maintain a 100 per cent success rate in completing safety checks in our homes. We’re able to do this because we have detailed procedures in place which are closely monitored between us and our service provider to ensure we get access to complete the annual safety checks in all of our properties.

“Unfortunately there are some occasions where we have no option but to force entry into some properties where we haven’t been able to get access to complete the check within the defined timescales.

“Help us to keep you safe and provide access to your home to ensure we maintain the safety of our tenants, employees and other residents.”

@nlcpeople