Barbecue warning over camper's carbon monoxide death

A coroner has issued a warning over the use of barbecues in confined spaces after a man who cooked burgers inside his camper van died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Nicholas Holmes, 22, of Waterlooville, had gone for a short break alone to a campsite in the New Forest in Hampshire, and decided to cook a meal on a disposable barbecue in the back of his van. Friends reported him missing and on 1 June police found his body in the front of the van, his head resting on a pillow. DS Andy Hedley, of Hampshire police, told the inquest in Southampton that Holmes had cooked two burgers and two buns in the back of the van. "It would then appear he closed the rear doors and allowed the barbecue to burn out," he said. Recording a verdict of accidental death, the deputy coroner for Southampton and the New Forest, Gordon Denson, said: "I am satisfied that Nicholas's death was an unforeseen and tragic accident in that he was unaware of the dangers of a lighted barbecue in a confined space, which produces a situation where carbon monoxide is present. "I am aware there are warnings on packets of barbecues. It is clear these were overlooked. I make a plea that members of the public take careful note of the printed warnings so these events are not repeated." Holmes's father, Philip, paid tribute to his "sensitive, bright, intelligent" son and backed the coroner's warning. "It seems the public are all too unaware of the dangers of these disposable barbecues. They spew out carbon monoxide for 12 hours after they have been used and there have been numerous cases of people losing their lives or nearly losing their lives," he said. "The public needs to be more aware and there are awareness campaigns going on which we support to prevent more needless loss of life." This year six-year-old Isabelle Harris, from Gosport, Hampshire, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after her parents brought a disposable BBQ into their tent to keep warm during a camping trip, also in the New Forest.