THE coroner in the inquest into the death of a pensioner has warned householders of the dangers posed by carbon monoxide.

Widower Sydney Long was found dead in his home by police after neighbours raised the alarm when he failed to open his curtains.

A post-mortem examination revealed that the 73-year-old retired tiler, of Manor Walk, Stillington, Stockton, was killed by gas emitted from a solid fuel fire.

Health and Safety Executive inspector Anthony Mellor told an inquest yesterday that extensive tests carried out on the fire and chimney showed they had not been maintained for many months.

"No smoke came out of the chimney. The chimney was 99 per cent blocked by burnt deposits. The flue was totally blocked by ash, tar deposits and soot."

The blockages caused carbon monoxide to leak out of the fire into the house at sufficiently high levels to kill someone within four hours.

Pathologist Dr Christopher Rettman told Teesside Coroner's Court that Mr Long had heart problems which would have made him more susceptible than most to the gas.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, deputy Teesside coroner Gordon Hetherington said the "tragic" affair should serve as a warning to people to have their fires regularly checked.

"All solid fuel or gas fires need to be properly maintained, and the sad fact is that Mr Long did not maintain his. It seems likely that on this particular night he had lit the fire and then gone up to bed and the fumes had insidiously crept through the house. I hope this inquest will at least provide a warning to others."

His comments were echoed by Cleveland Fire Brigade divisional officer Dave Bennett, who urged people to install a carbon monoxide detector.

"It's most important that people maintain all fire appliances and have them checked for safety regularly," he said. "In this case it was the unseen killer, carbon monoxide, which is not picked up by domestic smoke alarms."

The Northern Echo launched its Silent Killer campaign two years ago to force the Government to reduce the number of people killed by deadly gas emissions.

Read more about the Silent Killer campaign here.