'Miracle I'm alive'- husband of woman killed by carbon monoxide at Broads
Back in 2011, Hazel Woodhams was killed after the gas leaked from a BBQ in the Norfolk Broads that had been put out
A man whose wife was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning in the Broads tells us it's a 'medical miracle' that he's still alive.
Roland Wessling was holidaying in Norfolk fourteen years ago- when this gas from an extinguished BBQ filled the tent while they were sleeping.
"I had eight operations in the first four weeks"
He told us what recovering from all this has been like
"It took six months before I could actually go back to work. I had various injuries related to that night. I nearly lost my arms, I nearly lost my life and I was in intensive care for two weeks.
"I had eight operations in the first four weeks of that, alone. Initially I was on thirty-two painkillers a day. Thankfully due to some treatments later on, I was later able to reduce that.
"In total, I have taken over 65 thousand painkillers since 2011, essentially due to a charcoal BBQ.
The wider picture:
The number of cases of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning has doubled since Covid, according to data from the UK's Fire and Rescue Services.
Call outs to suspected CO poisoning across the UK peaked this year at 7703, up from 3876 in 2020).
These figures are separate from NHS trust data which in turn also reported a further 3185 suspected cases in 2025 alone, taking CO poisoning incidents across the UK in 2025 to over 10,000.
Around 50 people die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning and thousands more are treated in hospital.
Campaign group Project SHOUT says the only way to detect carbon monoxide is through an CO alarm.
A recent survey of gas engineers by the group also found that over a third of engineers (37%) come across poorly maintained appliances in people’s homes every week.
While a similar number (39%) came across appliances they classed as dangerous at least every month.
What are the signs of Carbon monoxide poisoning?
They can include:
-headache
-dizziness
-feeling sick or being sick
-feeling weak
-confusion
-chest and muscle pain
-shortness of breath
The NHS says these symptoms may come and go.
They may get worse when you spend time in an affected room or building and get better when you leave or go outside.