and thank you for visiting my website. It is designed to provide information for my constituents and to introduce you to Inverclyde — the finest Constituency in the land — where I was born and grew up. If you are unfortunate enough not to live in Inverclyde then you can find out who your Member of Parliament is through the House of Commons Information Office.

I share an office in the constituency with local MSP Duncan McNeil and we hold regular advice surgeries, details available on my contact page. After the boundary reorganisation in 2005 Port Glasgow, Kilmacolm and Quarrier’s village joined my constituency and the MSP for this area is Trish Godman with whom I work closely. Since Devolution, certain matters have been devolved to Holyrood — click here to see what is the responsibility of Westminster and the Scottish Parliament. Also on this site you’ll find my views on various issues, my press releases (if you’re a journalist) and some photographs of my activities in the constituency.

27.8.2010 12:29

Printable version

FIT A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR AND KEEP SAFE

Every year an estimated 250,000 gas appliances are wrongly installed or serviced by illegal fitters. This can result in carbon monoxide leaking into homes, and around 30 people die from this annually. Inverclyde MP David Cairns is so alarmed by this, that he’s calling on the government to redouble its efforts to warn people of the dangers.

David said:

“Carbon monoxide is a silent killer. It’s colourless, odourless and can kill you when you’re sitting at your own fireside. People need to be more aware of the dangers and I want to see a publicity campaign to raise awareness of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“I know that many people have carbon monoxide alarms but not all of them make a noise when they detect the gas. It’s easy to miss a light changing colour on an alarm and the consequences could be deadly.

“What’s even more worrying, is a recent survey found that a third of rented properties don’t have a current gas safety certificate. I would urge anyone who has doubts about appliances in their house to approach their landlord to make sure they have a current gas safety certificate.”


Allan McLeod from Gas Tech said:

"We are fully licensed ‘GAS SAFE REGISTER' engineers and like all enrolled engineers carry the proper Licence Card, which we are happy to show our customers at any time. There is no substitute for having gas appliances installed and serviced regularly by qualified tradesmen.

“Audible carbon monoxide detectors give an additional level of protection. And watch out for tell- tale signs of carbon monoxide. Yellow or orange flames, staining around the appliance, discoloration of paint and wallpaper, sooty deposits and pilot lights or appliances cutting out frequently all signal that something could be wrong.

"REMEMBER - In the wrong hands gas can be dangerous. Injuries and fatalities are preventable, so service your appliances annually using a qualified tradesman and fit an audible carbon monoxide detector. Don't take any chances with your life."