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Camden New Journal - By CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 27 March 2008

Residents woke up sick, said George Finch, pictured with his wife Susan

Deadly fumes leak into flats while tenants sleep

Firefighters raise alarm after neighbour checks into hospital

TERRIFIED tenants on a West Hampstead council estate have described how they woke up feeling sick in the middle of the night when poisonous carbon monoxide leaked into their homes.
Neighbours on the Abbey Road estate were alerted to the leak last Tuesday when a resident checked into hospital after falling ill from the fumes. In all, eight tenants needed medical treatment.
“The fumes knocked them out,” said George Finch, who has lived in Exonbury block, where the leak started, for 20 years. “They woke up and were sick.”
Another resident in the block, a mother-of-three who did not wish to be named, said the first she knew of the leak was when firefighters knocked on her door at 2am.
She said: “At one o’clock my daughter came to me and said she couldn’t sleep. She was very cold in bed and was feeling dizzy and sick.
“We went back to bed but we were both feeling dizzy. Then someone knocked on the door – it was firemen and policemen. I’m very angry. It was very dangerous.”
Her 15-year-old daughter said she vomited as firefighters led her away from the block.
“I was shivering and I had a really bad headache,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep all night. I didn’t know what was wrong.”
Camden Council said last night that health and safety inspectors were investigating. Repair work at the estate remained suspended.

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