Search for 3,000 defective cookers

DESPITE repeated warnings the consumer watchdog is still trying track down more than 3,000 defective gas cookers which have been linked to one death here and at least five in Britain.

The National Consumer Agency (NCA) yesterday issued another call to the public in an effort to locate more than 3,000 gas cookers which, in certain circumstances, can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is a highly dangerous gas. Colourless and odourless, the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to those caused by other illnesses such as a cold or flu. They include unexplained headaches, chest pains or muscular weakness, sickness, diarrhoea or stomach pains, sudden dizziness and general lethargy.

Earlier this month, two teenagers, Neil McFerran, 18, and Aaron Davidson, 18, died in a holiday apartment from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning.