British Gas has urged consumers to use people who have completed Corgi gas training to check the safety of their boilers.

Julian Mears, a spokesperson for British Gas, explained that it was vital that consumers regularly had their boiler checked.

He added that the age of the boiler would determine how regularly it needed to be looked at.

What's more, Mr Mears stressed that consumers should contact someone who has undertaken Corgi gas training if they feared there was a fault with their boiler.

He explained: "It's always best to let experts take the decisions to whether or not something is safe or otherwise.

"We wouldn't advise people to diagnose the health of their boiler on their own … people should leave it to the experts."

Mr Mears added that recent concerns about the environmental efficiency of homes could encourage more people to contact someone with Corgi gas training and have a new boiler installed.

"Newer boilers are A-rated, which means they are cleaner. If they are cleaner, they emit less CO2. This has a huge benefit on a household's carbon footprint," he pointed out.