Wales & West Utilities has urged households across Somerset to test their carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, after data published by the gas distribution network on 18 August 2025 showed that most alarms in homes went untested last year. The figures come from the Carbon Monoxide Research and Analysis (CORA) platform, which the company says is supported by the Gas Distribution Networks Wales & West Utilities, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks and SGN1.
The data was analysed from over 50,000 digital (Internet of Things) alarms and showed that 95 per cent of carbon monoxide alarms were not tested at all in 2024. Wales & West Utilities said the results show that thousands of households are putting themselves at risk of carbon monoxide every day1.
The company said carbon monoxide is often associated with winter but remains a threat in summer, as gas cookers and boilers are still in use. It also warned that barbecues, pizza ovens, camping stoves, camping heaters and gas lanterns can emit carbon monoxide and cause similar dangers if used in an enclosed space. The gas is known as the silent killer because it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, and some symptoms of poisoning, including headaches, nausea, dizziness and breathlessness, can be mistaken for other illnesses such as food poisoning, a cold or a hangover. Severe symptoms include collapsing and a loss of consciousness1.
Sophie Shorney, Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance Manager at Wales & West Utilities, said:
"It is concerning to hear that most households are not testing their carbon monoxide alarms. We cannot stress enough the dangers households could be putting themselves into if they either do not own a carbon monoxide alarm, or are not testing to see if their alarm works."
She added that if people are travelling this summer they should take their carbon monoxide alarm with them and test it regularly, and that "a simple action of pressing a button for a couple of seconds could save your life"1.
Wales & West Utilities supplies free CO alarms for eligible households across many of its Vulnerability Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA) funded programmes. The VCMA is funded by Ofgem and is designed to support households living in vulnerable situations and to increase awareness of carbon monoxide, through projects that go beyond the company's business-as-usual activities1. The company has not reported how many alarms it has supplied in Somerset or how households apply.
Why it matters for households
The figures cover alarms in homes across the area served by the four gas distribution networks named, and the call to action is aimed at Somerset households during the school holidays. The practical point is that an alarm which has not been tested may not work when carbon monoxide is present, and the company says the gas cannot be detected by sight, smell or taste. Households can check how often alarms should be tested in the guide to testing smoke and CO alarms, and what different alarms do in the guide to carbon monoxide alarms. Readers unsure whether they need one can read do I need a carbon monoxide alarm?, and where an alarm sounds unexpectedly, the guide to why a carbon monoxide alarm is beeping sets out common causes. Symptoms are described in the guide to carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms, and siting advice is in where to put a carbon monoxide alarm. The wider subject sits within the site's home emergencies hub.
What happens next
No further dates have been announced. Wales & West Utilities has directed households to its carbon monoxide safety pages for more information1.
Sources (1)
- Somerset Urged to Test CO Alarms | Wales & West Utilities, wwutilities.co.uk
Testing Smoke and CO Alarms
Do I Need a CO Alarm
Carbon Monoxide Alarms Guide
