The total of confirmed or suspected occurrences of carbon monoxide (CO) has risen by 37 per cent in the North East since 2021.

There has been almost 3,700 emergency property visits in three years by Northern Gas Networks (NGN) in the North East, where engineers have suspected or confirmed cases of CO after calls to the National Gas Emergency helpline.

NGN suggests this increase could be related to the cost-of-living crisis, urging people to install audible CO alarms on every floor and prioritise annual checks on boilers and appliances.

Laura Ratcliffe, social strategy programme manager at NGN, said: "It’s worrying to see this latest data, which shows how many more cases of CO have been suspected or confirmed by our emergency engineers since the cost-of-living crisis hit in 2021.

"This could be attributed to people's increasingly stretched finances, with many sacrificing regular servicing of carbon burning appliances, chimney sweeps and basic home safety."

Last month, a fatal CO incident was linked to indoor use of a gas barbeque.

Signs of CO poisoning include headaches, dizziness, nausea, breathlessness, collapse or loss of consciousness.

If you suspect CO poisoning, turn off the suspected appliance, open windows and doors, leave the building, seek urgent medical advice and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.