A MUM and her two children are lucky to be alive after a faulty gas boiler turned their home into a carbon monoxide death-trap.

Tina Broughton, her son Jake, 12, and daughter Holly, 15, had no idea they were being slowly poisoned until the boiler and gas appliances in their rented home in Victoria Mews, Earby, were given an annual service by an engineer.

The deadly gas, which is odourless and colourless, had been seeping into kitchen, where the boiler is located, and making all three members of the Broughton family ill.

They suffered severe headaches, sickness and lethargy for up to five months.

Four days after the boiler was switched off, Tina and Jake still had high levels of carbon monoxide in their blood.

Heating engineer Darren Head found the leak which had been caused by the gas flue having come away from the outlet.

Tina, who is now back at the property with her children, believes they could have died if the leak had not been detected.

She said: “I rang NHS Direct who told me to get to Airedale Hospital. We were seen straight away and all put on pure oxygen.

“Jake was found to have a reading of 15 in his blood, four days after the boiler had been switched off, while my reading was 12 and Holly’s three.

“The paediatrician said he had never seen such high readings so long after being exposed to carbon monoxide.

“All I really know is that if Darren hadn’t come to service the boiler on Wednesday and turned it off, we could be dead now.”

Jake, whose bedroom is above the kitchen, was the worst affected. Tina traced his symptoms back to September.

Holly was not as ill because she had spent two weeks over Christmas on the Isle of Man.

Both children are members of Blackburn Harriers and Tina believes the amount of time they spend outdoors may have saved them.

She said the poisoning may have been to blame for Holly’s below-par performance at the North of England Cross Country Championships.

A National Grid-recommended electronic carbon monoxide detector with an alarm has now been fitted at the property.

Christopher Stodart-Hall, letting agent for the Broughtons’ home, said they had spoken at length with the owners of the house.

He added: “We would also like to stress the importance to all landlords for the need to have gas safety checks carried out.

“Investigations are continuing into what could have caused this.”