CARBON monoxide is the most common poison in the UK today, it was revealed during the country's first Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week.

It is emitted by badly-maintained or faulty gas appliances and is odourless and colourless so that people do not realise they are breathing it in.

As it builds up it can - and often does - lead to the death of those who inhale it.

A recent case involved the death of two British children in Corfu and the poisoning of their father and his partner.

Harry Cohen, MP for Leyton, supported the campaign launched by CO-Awareness and others at the House of Commons.

CO-Awareness is a not-for-profit organisation based in Cheshire that is working to raise awareness of the dangers of CO.

It has called on the Government, regulators and the industry to tighten procedures for inspection and maintenance of equipment, as well as improving the training of installers and giving them access to CO monitors.

Mr Cohen said: "Carbon monoxide Awareness Week is intended to draw the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning to the public's attention.

"I urge all my constituents to take precautions to protect themselves and their families, by making sure that their domestic appliances are maintained and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted in their homes."

People who have lost friends and relatives to carbon monoxide poisoning attended the Westminster event.

Lynn Griffiths, President of the Co-Awareness campaign, lost her children to carbon monoxide poisoning.

She said: "We believe knowledge is the key to preventing carbon monoxide poisonings. Victims have not realised that carbon monoxide was being produced or building up in the air they were breathing.

"Carbon monoxide is the most common poison in the UK today. There is no large scale public information campaign about it and it is not routinely tested for at post mortems. As well as raising public awareness, we need to make sure all doctors, especially those in emergency departments, and GPs are aware of the symptoms that carbon monoxide can cause.

"It should not take a tragedy to alert the British public to its dangers. Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week therefore seeks to address all these issues. We must no longer stay silent about this silent killer."