Woman urges carbon monoxide alarms after poisoning

Henrietta Harrison survived a carbon monoxide leak from her faulty boiler in 2015

A woman who nearly died from carbon monoxide poisoning has encouraged others to install alarms after she felt "lucky" to have survived.

Henrietta Harrison, 53, originally from Welford, Northamptonshire, collapsed in 2015 after the boiler in the flat she owned began leaking the gas.

According to the charity, CO-Gas Safety, about 30 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning in the UK each year, with approximately 4,000 treated in A&E departments.

Ms Harrison said: "It was a happy ending for me, but it makes me realise how lucky I was to have survived it. There was no indication there was gas in my house."

High concentrations of the gas, which has no smell or taste, can be fatal within minutes, while long-term exposure can cause lasting health issues, including brain damage and heart problems.

At the time of the poisoning, Ms Harrison did not have any carbon monoxide alarms installed in her flat

In 2015, the 53-year old was discovered "catatonic on the floor" by her flatmate, who had unexpectedly returned home and called an ambulance.

At the time of the poisoning, she did not have any carbon monoxide alarms installed in her flat.

Ms Harrison, who lived and owned the flat and was renting it out to her friend, said: "When I tell the story, people say who was the landlord, and I say I was that landlord, which makes it even worse."

She described how paramedics were "shocked" she was still alive when they checked her blood pressure.

Ms Harrison was taken to hospital and placed in an oxygen tank, where she made a full recovery without any long-term effects.

"This whole idea of being called a silent killer is so accurate. There's no warning signs," Ms Harrison added.

According to the charity, CO-Gas Safety, more than 80 per cent of people surveyed said they had a carbon monoxide alarm fitted, but 59% do not replace their alarm when the batteries run out.

The charity added one in four people surveyed were unsure if their carbon monoxide alarm was working because they do not regularly check.