Beko 'ignored' problem of 'serious risk' gas cookers, Cornwall inquest hears

Britain's number one selling appliance brand knew thousands of gas cookers posed a "serious risk'' to user health from carbon monoxide poisoning and ignored the problem for several weeks, an inquest has heard.

Cookers manufactured in Turkey have been linked to 18 deaths in the UK and Ireland from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Turkish company Arcelik manufactured the appliances and sold 30,000 in the UK under its Beko brand and 30,000 under its Glen Dimplex brand.

The deaths of five people who all died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Cornwall over a two-and-a-half year period are subject of a week-long inquest being held in Truro.

Friends Richard Smith, 30, and Kevin Branton, 34, died in Saltash in November 2010, while husband and wife John and Audrey Cook, aged 90 and 86, and their daughter Maureen, 47, were found dead inside their static caravan in Camborne in February 2013.

The inquest heard Beko was first told by the Irish authorities on November 13 2008 of the death of Alexis Landry in Co Cork earlier that month after using a LPG bottle gas Glen Dimplex cooker.

Arcelik started testing all gas cooker model types on November 19 and then on December 2 provided Beko with a list of affected models, including those running on LPG bottle gas, but also those that ran on natural gas.

On December 1, Beko also learned that a coroner was investigating the deaths of pensioners Boris and Vilma Green in Doncaster two weeks after Mr Landry.

Hertfordshire Trading Standards, which had regulatory oversight for Beko in the UK, was informed by Beko on January 13 2009 of Mr Landry's death.

Andrew Mullen, head of quality and sustainability at Beko, said in February 2009 Arcelik provided his company with a final and more specific list of 13 affected models of cooker.

Barrister Rob Harland, representing the families of Mr Smith, Mr Branton and the Cooks, suggested Beko ignored the problem for two months.

"Waiting for this to be confirmed by some kind of testing and working out precisely which products are safe and which are not, isn't addressing the problem is it? It is simply ignoring it?,'' he asked.

Mr Mullen replied: "The decision was taken to wait for Arcelik to finish the testing.''

He accepted the gas cookers posed a "serious risk'' to health.

When asked to explain why, he replied: "They posed a serious risk because if they were used incorrectly with the grill door shut, they would produce large amounts of carbon monoxide.''

Geraint Williams, assistant coroner for Cornwall, asked Mr Mullen: "You were aware on December 2 that Arcelik had indicated there was excessive carbon monoxide produced, you had a list of models sent to you, you were told changes had been made to all models (including models working on natural gas)''

"You accepted you knew all of that on December 2, and surely therefore whatever risk assessments you performed later, you knew at that early date there was a problem that you should have acted on?''

Mr Mullen replied: "I accept we had all that information at that time, yes. I accept with hindsight we should have perhaps acted differently.''

Mr Williams asked: "With hindsight? It was glaringly obvious surely?''

Mr Mullen replied: "I can only stand by the answer I gave.''

The inquest has heard Mr Smith's father, Brian, had bought the Beko cooker for his son on December 31 2008.

Mr Harland suggested to Mr Mullen that had Beko stopped the distribution and sales of cookers after learning of Arcelik's findings, Mr Smith could not have bought it.

"I think that is an assumption,'' Mr Mullen replied.

"My understanding is that the cooker Mr Smith ended up purchasing had been shipped out of our warehouse prior to us being aware of the Cork incident.

"It had been shipped onto the Co-op who had then supplied it on to a third party, which we had no knowledge of.

"At the time of the Cork incident and for a time after that we were focused on an LPG manufactured product sold in Ireland and not in the UK and the likelihood of us reaching any products that we had put in stock in December I would have thought was very low.

"At that point I think it was very unclear which cookers we should be stopping, if any.''

The hearing continues.