FAR fewer people are dying from carbon monoxide poisoning as the message hits home about the dangers of old gas fires and boilers, new figures show.

Only 12 lives were lost nationally in the 12 months to March last year, the lowest figure since statistics were first collated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the mid-1980s.

It means the HSE has already easily exceeded its quest to cut the number of carbon monoxide deaths to 20 by 2010 - a target set four years ago. But energy retailers, which have drawn up a detailed strategy to save lives, said they would not be satisfied until the death toll reached zero.

The Northern Echo launched its Silent Killer campaign following the death in 1995 of Anne Brennan, 19, from Houghton-le-Spring, Wearside, while in student accommodation in Durham City.

It called for a huge advertising campaign to be funded by a compulsory levy on gas suppliers - a proposal made by health and safety chiefs as far back as 2001.

No legislation was brought forward by the Government in the last parliament, which meant such a campaign could only take place if the suppliers agreed to pay for it voluntarily.

Since then, the Energy Retail Association (Era), the trade body for gas suppliers, has improved warnings on leaflets and websites, although it rejected expensive TV adverts.

Fresh regulations have come into force, tightening up the design requirements for gas boilers in new properties.

The HSE figures, published this week, reveal that poisoning deaths peaked at 48 in 1987-1988, falling to 26 by 1999-2000, the HSE's basemark year for its target.

There were 25 deaths in 2000-2001, 22 the following year, 20 in 2002-2003 and, finally, 12 in 2003-2004, the most recent year for which figures are available.

An HSE spokesman said: "There has been a welcome decline in the number of deaths, at the same time as there has been a lot of publicity about the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"We think that is reaping dividends among vulnerable groups who are being alerted to the issue, but we are always looking to make further improvements."

Russell Hamblin-Boone, the Era's head of communication, said it continued to believe its strategy was more effective than "multi-million pound TV campaigns in the middle of Coronation Street".

He said: "It is down to everybody to take responsibility, including manufacturers and installers, but our objective is for there to be no deaths at all."

However, the HSE has written to Era for further details of the steps it has taken since last year to raise awareness.

Read more about the Silent Killer campaign here.