Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the gas distribution network for the North East of England, Yorkshire and Cumbria, began a giveaway of up to 2,000 free carbon monoxide (CO) alarms on 18 November 2024, to mark CO Awareness Week, which ran from 18 to 24 November 20241. The giveaway closes at midnight on 28 February 2025, or earlier if all 2,000 alarms are claimed1. Householders take part by completing two short online surveys testing their knowledge of CO, and those who take part are rewarded with an alarm1.
NGN published research alongside the announcement. It found that only 37 per cent of people in its regions have a working CO alarm in their property, and only 24 per cent regularly test it1. Nineteen per cent said they would do nothing if they heard their CO alarm beeping, nine per cent said they had never had their boiler serviced, and only 40 per cent of those surveyed knew the dangers of CO poisoning1. The figures come from an NGN study conducted in February 2024 and a survey of 2,008 people aged 18 to 80 in the North East of England, Yorkshire and Cumbria, carried out by Perspectus Global and Savanta in July 20241.
Eileen Brown, Director of Customer Experience at Northern Gas Networks, said:
"It's worrying to see how many people still don't have a CO alarm. Carbon monoxide poisoning cases rise in the winter when we're using our cookers, fires, boilers and wood burners more, which is why we're urging people to get in the know about CO and claim a free alarm through our week-long giveaway."
NGN describes CO as a poisonous, colourless and odourless gas produced when carbon fuels are burnt, which can leak from incorrectly fitted, badly repaired or poorly maintained gas appliances, as well as flues, chimneys and blocked vents1. It lists the signs of CO poisoning as headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse or loss of consciousness1. Its guidance is to turn off the appliance suspected of causing it, open windows and doors, leave the building and seek urgent medical advice, and to call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, a line it says operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year1.
The announcement also carries the account of Ummay Alam, 30, from Stanley, Durham, who was seven months pregnant in July 2024 when a routine midwife appointment returned a CO reading of level 61. She said her previous readings had been level 1, and that the family's only gas appliances were a cooker and a boiler that was serviced annually1. Northern Gas Networks attended the same day and a Gas Safe registered engineer confirmed the cooker was emitting CO1. Because she was pregnant she was eligible for the Priority Services Register and had the cooker repaired with new parts free of charge1. She and her husband welcomed their first child in September 20241.
Why it matters for households
A CO alarm is the only way to detect a gas that cannot be seen or smelt, and NGN's own figures suggest most households in its regions do not have a working one, with a quarter of those who do never testing it1. For a home's energy independence, the practical point is that the risk sits with the appliances a household already owns and runs: boilers, cookers, fires and wood burners, together with the flues, chimneys and vents that serve them1. The Alam case shows the risk is not confined to old or neglected equipment, since the cooker involved was five years old and the boiler was serviced each year1. NGN's advice on what to do if CO is suspected, including leaving the building and calling the 24-hour National Gas Emergency Service line, applies regardless of who supplies the gas1.
What happens next
The giveaway runs until midnight on 28 February 2025, or until the 2,000 alarms are claimed, whichever comes first1. No further dates have been reported.