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Family of dancer killed by boiler fumes want justice
Benedict Moore-Bridger07.10.08
The family of a dancer killed by carbon monoxide poisoning today called for the people responsible for installing a faulty boiler at her home to be prosecuted.
Elouise Littlewood, 26, was found dead in the bathroom of her home having inhaled the fatal odourless fumes, thought to have escaped from the boiler.
Her 32-year-old flatmate, Simon Kilby, also suffered carbon monoxide poisoning during the accident. Doctors have said he is in a "permanent non-responsive state" and unlikely to recover.
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of manslaughter after a post mortem examination confirmed Ms Littlewood died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The 49-year-old suspect, believed to be a Corgi-registered heating engineer, was quizzed by murder squad detectives and the Health and Safety Executive before being bailed until mid-December. An inquest into Ms Littlewood's death heard that the boiler in the flat, in Bedfont, Middlesex, appeared not to have been fitted to agreed building regulations.
Ms Littlewood worked as an NVQ assessor and was a keen dancer and dance teacher. She had just moved into her home, managed by Notting Hill Housing, when the leak happened in February.
Her parents Alan and Sally-Anne, from Feltham, said people had to be brought to justice. Mrs Littlewood said: "It is so upsetting, you can't put it into words. Our daughter lost her life through no fault of her own.
"You put your faith in these professional companies, you trust the word Corgi, and look what happens.
"We feel very angry. We have lost our daughter down to sheer incompetence - somebody did not do their job properly. They are human beings, they make mistakes-You do not expect them to, but they do. It will give us great satisfaction to see someone prosecuted."
Her death has prompted Barratt Homes to contact more than 1,000 residents across the country advising them to check their boilers for possible faults. The company has also begun installing carbon monoxide alarms in all new properties.
A spokesman for Barratt said 1,335 checks were carried out after the Health and Safety Executive identified possible problems with a specific type of boiler installation.
He said: "As a precaution, Barratt is fitting all new properties with carbon monoxide alarms." Mrs Littlewood said: "If alarms had been fitted sooner perhaps Elouise would have had a chance."
Ms Littlewood worked as a childcare assessor for Hawk Training in Twickenham, and also as a dance teacher at the Jean Inwards school in Hanwell.
Reader views (8)
Please ensure that everyone buys an audible alarm as a disc is only good if you check it all the time, an alarm will warn you of the danger immediatly and will probably save your life. Nobody should be dying from carbon monoxide in this day and age but the government and the gas industry do very little to warn people of the dangers of carbon monoxide. Gas companies make billions of pounds of profit every year and none of it is spent on advertising the dangers of carbon monoxide.
I'd like someone to tell me why?
- Alan Littlewood, Hanworth uk
Being a resident at the development where Elouis edied, it is hard to belive that there are still problems with the boilers.
The email below was sent to me and hand dleivered to other residents on 21st October 08.
Dear Resident
GAS SAFETY INSPECTION
Following the gas remedial works carried out by Barratt and British Gas to all the Notting Hill homes, a resident recently reported a problem with the flue in their home. This issue was immediately attended to and fixed by Barratt and British Gas. Barratt and British Gas have investigated the possible cause of the problem but have not, as yet, isolated the cause.
Notting Hill’s consultants, Calfordseaden, have inspected the flue systems in 15 other flats to see if there is evidence of any further problems; none have been found. However, to be absolutely sure none have developed since the re-installation, we need to undertake a further visual inspection of the remaining properties via the inspection hatches installed as part of the remedial works.
To ensure your safety, we must ask that you stop using your boiler (refer to the pictorial instructions on page 1 of the manual enclosed with the copy of this message to be hand delivered this afternoon - we suggest you switch off the main boiler on-off switch on the left hand side of the control panel) until we have carried out this further safety inspection.
- Sarah, Feltham
I hope the family get justice. I was nearly killed by carbon monoxide fumes, I was lying on my back on the floor vomiting onto myself barely able to move (I thought I had some terrible food poisoning) when a sudden voice in my head told me to get air - I crawled to the window, was barely able to open it but just a tiny bit of air and I felt much better. Camden Council refused to investigate the source of the fumes (a broken extraction vent in the squalid filthy and dangerous Bangladeshi restaurant below my flat) as they said it involved expensive monitoring equipment and that I couldn't be trusted not to tamper with it deliberately by holding something burning beneath it for example. The owner said my complaint was racially motivated. Outrageous. My GP referred me to have a blood test to establish whether I had been gassed and this was done the next day. If you think you may have been affected by fumes you must GET BLOOD TESTED WITHIN 4 HOURS - this means either calling an ambulance or going to A&E immediately and demanding a test on the spot. Hard to do when you're sick and dizzy. All traces of carbon monoxide poison are gone after 4 hours. I now have 'spot' patches and portable battery operated smoke & carbon monoxide alarms. Portables are handy as carbon monoxide lies low in the air so even if your smoke detector is also a carbon monoxide detector, if situated correctly on the ceiling, you would be dead by the time it was triggered.
- Real, London
Moving into a brand new flat you would have thought that the correct safety measures would have been in place? They were not! Don't rely on landlords or housing agents to gaurentee your safety, do it yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'v lost Elouise Littlewood and Simon Kilby as friends because of negligence!
- Dan Gallagher. Close Friend., Heston
Carbon monoxcide discs will not wake you up on the onset of carbon monoxcide coma, and can change nauraly. A hard wired audibal alarm will. God Bless this woman and her family.
- Anthony, Greater Manchester
I live in Chelsea and the council put in one of those alarms in where my boiler is...ok was fine but last year it started bleeping and wouldn't stop even with the battery removed,phoned the council only to be told I must switch off everything and leave every window open as no one could come out to check as it wasn't serious and this was the middle of winter...still waiting for the heatlh & safety officer to get in touch regarding this...the gentleman who removed the system stated that this happens alot and he doesn't know why.
- Sarah, London
There is a simple disc that can be purchased from every supermarket to stop this from happening. I would advise anyone renting or owning a property to buy one and put it near the boiler. If it changes colour they fumes are escaping. Very sad to hear about a youngster dying in this way.
- Gilmartin, Bristol England
Landlords also have a duty to carry out yearly inspections of boilers and any other gas appliances. Was this done before the woman moved in?
- Triffidqueen, Desk in London
