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Gas safety fear check
SAFETY experts have been checking hundreds of Barnsley homes where gas installations have been carried out by a man arrested in connection with the death of Mark Ellis, who was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning.
And depending on the results of the tests, a local man could face criminal charges of gross negligence and manslaughter.
Mark Ellis, aged 41, was found dead in the bathroom of his Dodworth home on February 18 and his pet cat was discovered dead downstairs.
One week earlier the probation officer had a new boiler fitted in his home in Hawthorne Crescent and later complained to friends of headaches and feeling sick.
After Mark's death a 29-year-old local man, who ran a Barnsley-based plumbing and heating business, and his apprentice heating engineer were arrested and subsequently released on police bail.
The company is currently no longer operating.
Now The Star can reveal police, working with CORGI - the organisation that specialises in gas safety and the Health and Safety Executive - has been looking at all the work carried out by the business over the past two years.
They stress they do not want householders to panic and say they have records which show which homes may need checking and all the householders are already aware of the situation.
Det Sgt Steve Trigg said: "A dedicated team of CORGI engineers have been and are inspecting all domestic gas installations carried out by this particular company over t
he past two years, they have been working on this investigation for more than a month.
"Obviously it has taken some time because there have been a lot of homes to check, but we do hope to have all those checks completed within the next few weeks.
"When we and CORGI have concluded our investigations and checks it will be for the Crown Prosecution Service to consider and decide if there is enough evidence to being charges of gross negligence and manslaughter.
"It is too early to speculate if those charges will be brought. If the CPS decide not to bring manslaughter charges we will hand this case over to the HSE who, we are certain, will prosecute the individuals for breaching health and safety legislation."
Sent: 18/04/2008
Email us direct at: repairs@londonheatingservices.co.uk
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