The co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) have written to festivals across the country calling on them to increase protection from deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gas.

Barry Sheerman MP and Baroness Finlay of Llandaff have called on 18 festival providers who provide glamping accommodation to ensure that CO alarms are installed as standard alongside any fuel burning appliances. This simple step can save festival goers lives, as using such appliances without sufficient ventilation can lead CO building up to dangerous levels – a risk we hope festival providers take seriously.

This push is part of the APPCOG’s wider work on CO Safety at Festivals, which also includes safety messaging targeted at festival campers on the risks of using barbeques inside tents. Our aim is to increase awareness amongst guests, medical and security staff of both the particular risks of CO in a festival environment and of the symptoms, which can easily be confused for hangover.

If you would like to learn more or get involved in the APPCOG’s CO Safety at Festivals work, oliver.buckley-mellor [at] policyconnect.org.uk (subject: Involvement%20in%20APPCOG%20festivals%20work) (please get in touch).