ONE in ten homes in York has an unsafe gas appliance - and more than 600 homes escaped a 'deadly gas incident' in the past year.

These are the disturbing conclusions of new research carried out prior to the start of Gas Safety Week today.

Researchers say York is one of the most dangerous places in Yorkshire and The Humber when it comes to dangerous gas appliances, with potentially deadly gas incidents including explosions, fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.

The research carried out with Gas Safe registered engineers revealed that 57 per cent had found a dangerous gas boiler, cooker or fire in a customer’s home in the last year that had needed turning off immediately.

Almost half of these dangers were attributed to people failing to get their gas appliance regularly serviced and leaving them in a poor state.

Russell Kramer, chief executive for Gas Safe Register, said: “Over the past three years there’s been 31 deaths and over 1,000 injuries that have resulted from gas related incidents. However, listening to our engineers tell us about the situations they face on a daily basis and hearing just how many life-threatening incidents they prevent, it’s surprising there haven’t been more.

"It shows what a great job registered engineers do, but at the same time the public also has an important role in gas safety.

"An engineer can only help keep you safe if they are invited into your home to check your gas appliances. It’s therefore your responsibility to make sure you stay safe by regularly getting your appliances safety checked by a registered engineer.”

He said people could sign up to a free gas safety check reminder service which would alert them when their gas appliances needed checking.

Tips for gas safety: Get your gas appliances safety checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer.

Check the front and back of your engineer’s Gas Safe Register ID card, making sure they are qualified to do the specific type of gas work you require.

Check gas appliances for warning signs they are not working correctly. A lazy yellow flame, black marks or stains around the appliance, or too much condensation in the room are all signs that your appliances aren’t safe.

Know the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse and loss of consciousness.