One of the world’s largest cooker companies has apologised to the families of two Donegal women killed as a result of one of their faulty appliances.
Annie Gallagher, 84, and Sarah McDyer, 79, died when they were poisoned by carbon monoxide which leaked from Ms Gallagher’s Flavel cooker at her Glenties home.
The neighbours and friends were chatting when they were overcome by fumes on September 24th, 2009.
The company who manufactured the killer cooker, Beko, has now apologised to the families of the two women after their inquests in Letterkenny last week.
The company issued Donegaldaily.com with a statement.
It read “We would like to reiterate that customer safety is Beko’s highest priority. Our condolences are with all family and friends affected.”
It added “In November 2008, Beko became aware of a safety risk pertaining to certain models of the Beko, Leisure and Flavel gas cookers, where high levels of carbon monoxide are emitted if the grill function is not operated in accordance with the product instructions.
“If the grill door is closed when the grill burner is in use, an unsafe build-up of carbon monoxide can occur which can be fatal.
“This risk can be eliminated by a simple modification, carried out by our service engineers free of charge. We would like to reassure consumers that all tests we have undertaken show that these cookers are safe to use if the grill is operated with the grill door open, in accordance with user instructions. This has been verified by independent testing.
“However, given the serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, as a precaution we have sought to modify all products in the field to guard against accidental misuse or accidental closure of the door when the grill is in operation.
“Since we became aware of the issue in November 2008, we have been contacting affected customers in the UK and Ireland through national press advertising, consumer mailings, and outbound telephone and door-knocking campaigns. In Ireland, we also sent leaflets to 1.9 million homes.
“As a result of this extensive activity, a large number of affected models have been located and modified. However, we continue to urge all consumers with gas cookers, including landlords and letting agents to: - Check if their cooker is one of the makes / models affected (list below) - If so, contact the manufacturer on the free helpline: o Ireland – 1800 25 29 25 o UK – 0800 917 0555 - Under no circumstances operate the grill with the grill door closed – it must always be in the open position.
Our call centre is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday.
Further information is also available on our websites: www.leisurecp.co.uk, www.leisurecp.ie, www.beko.co.ukand www.beko.ie. The safety of all our products remains our highest priority. All our products are approved to the latest National and European Safety Standards. Also all cookers produced after December 2008 have been manufactured with a modified seal. The affected models are listed below:
Brand Product Model Number
Beko DCG8511WLPG
Beko DCG8511PLW
Beko DG581LWP
Leisure CM10NRK
Leisure CM10NRC
Leisure AL6NDW
Leisure CM101NRCP
Leisure CM101NRKP
Flavel DCGAP5LS
Flavel AP5LDWP
