HERE’S an alarming statistic: gas engineers who have visited homes in York found that one in ten of them had an unsafe gas boiler, cooker or fire.

That makes York among the most dangerous areas of Yorkshire in terms of gas leaks, gas explosions, or carbon monoxide poisoning, behind only the big cities like Sheffield, Leeds and Bradford.

Engineers from Gas Safe inspected 1,706 homes in York over the last four years, and found unsafe appliances lurking in one in ten.

Some of the appliances which the engineers tested were so dangerous that they needed to be switched off immediately.

This is an urgent wake-up call. Across Britain in the last three years 31 people have died as a result of explosions or leaks in their home.

A further 1,000 people have been injured.

Engineers, however, say they are surprised only that those figures haven’t been worse.

Heating and cooking on gas is very convenient.

But, if you don’t get your boiler or heater checked regularly, it can also be very dangerous.

Engineers can only come into your home to check your equipment if you ask them to do so.

“It’s therefore your responsibility to make sure you stay safe by regularly getting your appliances checked by a registered engineer,” said Russell Kramer, chief executive of the Gas Safe Register.

The onus really is on you, in other words.

This week is Gas Safety Week. If you haven’t had your appliances checked for a while, now might be a good time to do it.