FIREFIGHTERS in Newton Abbot have issued safety advice after dealing with an unusual carbon monoxide scare at a property in the town.

Two crews dealt with the incident in Garston Avenue where a carbon monoxide alarm had screamed into life on Friday night.

Firefighters in breathing gear used a gas detector to trace the nub of the problem at 8.30pm.

Readings from the property’s log burner drew a blank, causing the investigators to scratch their heads in a quest for the source.

In the interim they found a metal bucket on the hearth which, on closer inspection, proved to be the answer to the puzzle.

A fire spokesman explained: ‘The bucket was full of ash, so we took it outside to empty. We then noticed it was warm. We held the gas detector over the ash - and it immediately went into full alarm mode.’

He said: ‘We disturbed the crust on the ash, and the embers below were hot and orange. The reading increased from 129 parts per million (ppm) to 378ppm.’

He said headaches and nausea resulted from carbon monoxide exposure after 1-2 hours, with life-threatening levels experienced after three hours.

It later emerged the occupier regularly emptied old ash from the log burner into the bucket, and only emptied it when full.

The spokesman observed: ‘The embers were producing carbon monoxide into the lounge which caused the alarm to sound. Luckily for this person they had an alarm.’

The spokesman urged all householders not to leave ashes within their homes. They should be removed outside at the earliest opportunity.