Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Margaret Ritchie has led calls for carbon monoxide protection for renters.

Ritchie has tabled an Early Day Motion which demands that the government must ensure that renters throughout the UK are protected sufficiently from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The MP for South Down in Northern Ireland has requested that the government regulates the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in every UK rented property.

The motion came about after it was revealed that about 50 people die each year as a direct result of carbon monoxide poisoning, with Liverpool John Moores University recently carrying out a study which showed that those most at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning are low income households.

Labour MP Barry Sheerman is Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group (APPCOG) and he gave his support to the motion, stating that it serves as a reminder that more should be done to prevent carbon monoxide related deaths in the UK.

Sheerman said: “By harmonising regulations for CO alarms across the nations of the UK, we can put an end to the needless suffering caused by CO poisoning.

“The APPCOG has recommended that all homes in the private rented sector are fitted with standard-compliant CO alarms since the publication of our report Preventing Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in 2011, so we very much hope that the government will follow Scotland’s lead and ensure that householders in the English rented sector are provided with equal levels of protection.”

The motion was triggered by the research undertaken by Liverpool John Moores University, as the legislation currently in place in England means that landlords only need to fit the carbon dioxide alarms in rooms with solid fuel burning appliances.

Ritchie has worked hard and frequently campaigned for improved awareness and safety regarding the dangers associated with carbon monoxide and is now urging the government to take action.