Homeowners are being urged to check their gas and electrical appliances over the summer months after a survey revealed a basic lack of safety knowledge among property owners.

New research reveals that 66% of homes in the UK have defective gas appliances and 40% of smoke alarms do not work.

There are also over 1.1 million illegal gas installations carried out each year – putting the lives of millions of people at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, gas leaks, fires and explosions.

Leading RegTech company Gas Tag, which is revolutionising safety in the gas industry, said the summer months are the perfect time of the year to check appliances in the home.

Prepare your home for safety infographic

Stephen Ullathorne, co-CEO of Gas Tag, said: “We all know how busy it gets at this time of year, but taking time out from our hectic schedule to ensure our appliances are safe could be a life-saver.

“Research tells us that fewer than five per cent of households put a gas safety check on their to-do list during the summer season, but it really should be the number one priority.”

Gas Safe Register, the official gas registration organisation for the UK, says almost a fifth of households do not have their gas appliances legally checked, meaning as many as 12 million people could be living with dangerous appliances.

Shockingly, as many as 50% of all appliances in the lounge were deemed either at risk or immediately dangerous when audited by the Gas Safe Register.

Carbon monoxide poisoning in the home accounts for 50 recorded deaths per year, and as many as 4,000 medical visits, according to the Department of Health.

Gas Tag, a company behind technology that ensures the highest standards of gas safety compliance and combats the scourge of illegal fitters, says it is vital any inspections are carried out only by Gas Safe registered engineers.

Stephen Ullathorne added: “It remains far too easy for illegal gas fitters to either carry out or, worst case scenario, pretend to carry out work on gas appliances.

“Surely, in 2018, it should be totally unacceptable that people are being put at risk of injury or death as a result of shoddy or non-existent work.”

Worryingly, one in five people who employ a tradesperson to work on a gas appliance do not check their ID card or qualifications.

Gas Tag’s system has been described as ‘the most significant quantum leap in domestic gas safety compliance in 20 years’.

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