Controls sought on gas blast risk

Acetylene cylinders are highly explosive when heated

A council is calling for tighter controls on the storage of gas canisters in homes.

Falkirk Council said there had been 13 emergency incidents involving acetylene and other gas cylinders in homes in the area over the last five years.

The authority's health and safety committee is writing to government ministers about the issue.

In August, 86 homes in Stenhousemuir were evacuated when a garage containing two acetylene cylinders caught fire.

In 2006 a similar incident in Carronshore saw 300 residents displaced from their homes while 32 properties were evacuated in Ewing road in Bainsford in March 2007.

Hire companies

Controlling the use of acetylene gas cylinders is done through the Health & Safety Executive, although these checks only apply to workplaces.

Officials at Falkirk Council said it was unclear what action was available to local authorities and the emergency services to mitigate the risks of keeping the gas cylinders in domestic spaces.

Councillor Charles MacDonald, convener of the council's community, health and safety committee, said: "We have experienced incidents in this area over the last few years which involved major disruption in many communities and involved considerable cost to the council and the emergency services.

"But these incidents highlight that we are unable, under current regulations, to prevent householders storing these cylinders in domestic properties."

In response to a recent investigation into the issue, the authority has established a partnership with gas cylinder hire companies and Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service to monitor the use of acetylene in domestic properties.