Margaret Ritchie MP has tabled an Early Day Motion demanding that the government ensures renters up and down the country are properly protected from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

Ms Ritchie’s motion has called for the government to regulate the fitting of CO alarms in all rented properties across the UK.

The motion addresses the concern that around 50 people a year still die as a result of CO poisoning and highlights the recent research undertaken at Liverpool John Moores University which indicates it is low income households that are most at risk of CO poisoning.

All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) Co-chair Barry Sheerman MP expressed his support, saying that the motion is a timely reminder that more can be done to stop preventable deaths in the UK.

“By harmonising regulations for CO alarms across the nations of the UK, we can put an end to the needless suffering caused by CO poisoning,” he said.

“The APPCOG has recommended that all homes in the private rented sector are fitted with standard-compliant CO alarms since the publication of our report Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in 2011, so we very much hope that the government will follow Scotland’s lead and ensure that householders in the English rented sector are provided with equal levels of protection.”

The research carried out at John Moores University triggered the motion, as current legislation in England only requires landlords to fit CO alarms in rooms with solid fuel burning appliances.

Margaret Ritchie MP has campaigned frequently for better safety and awareness around the dangers of CO and is urging the government, the Welsh Executive and the Northern Ireland Executive to follow the example of the Scottish Government and require all landlords to install carbon monoxide detectors in rented properties.