Recall issued for Flogas Gold Butane Gas Cylinders over over-pressure fire risk

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has issued a recall for Flogas Gold butane gas cylinders in 4.5 kg, 7 kg and 13 kg sizes, sold between 6 and 22 November 2024 across East Anglia, East Midlands, the Home Counties and the South East¹. The notice was published on 10 December 2024¹.

The cylinders are described as gold and red butane bottles¹. The hazard is fire: the cylinders were filled with a mixture of butane and propane outside the parameters for commercial butane defined in BS4250, which results in a higher vapour pressure within the cylinder than usual¹. Butane regulators are manufactured to BSEN12864 or BSEN16129, which require them to be designed for a maximum inlet pressure of 7.5 bar; should the inlet pressure exceed the design pressure, this could lead to leakage of joints, failure of components or gas or flames being emitted from the appliance itself¹. The product does not meet the requirements of The Gas Appliances (Enforcement) and Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 2018¹. The product has been recalled from end users and withdrawn from the market¹.

Flogas is calling for all customers who may have purchased one of these cylinders in the affected region, particularly through a retailer such as B&Q, B&M, Homebase, another local seller or gas dealer, to act¹.

The notice adds that where possible the cylinder should be kept stored outdoors, and that if it must be stored indoors it should be kept away from sources of heat until collection is arranged¹. All affected customers should contact Flogas on 0330 041 6629 or cylinder.recall@flogas.co.uk for collection and a free replacement¹.

Why it matters for households

The recall covers cylinders bought in a 17-day window in late November across a large part of eastern and southern England, so households that use butane or propane gas bottles for heaters, cookers or other appliances should check the brand, colour and size of any cylinder bought in that period. The risk arises at the point of connection: a cylinder filled to the wrong mixture can raise the pressure at the regulator above its design limit, with the notice warning of leakage at joints, component failure or flames from the appliance¹. The notice's own instruction is to stop using the bottles, not to connect them, and to disconnect any already connected¹. Households running bottled gas for heaters and stoves and those in LPG homes using bulk tanks or cylinders face the same check on cylinder markings and paperwork. The notice does not say how many cylinders are affected, and no injuries or incidents have been reported in it¹.

What happens next

Affected customers contact Flogas for collection and a free replacement, as set out in the notice¹. The recall notice remains published by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, and further updates, if any, have not been reported¹.