Following the tragic death of 10-month-old baby Rhianna Hardie in Taunton recently, Tenby county councillor Michael Williams has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for assurance that all immersion heaters in houses across the county are checked.

The infant's death was caused by a water tank in the roof space bursting, causing boiling water to pour through the ceiling. "The council authority of Taunton Deane Borough said that it was not their usual procedure to carry out checks on the water systems and they were not aware of the potentially dangerous condition," said Clr. Williams. "They stated that their officers were not expected to look into the roof space, only to check the tap flows. They further stated that a more modern type of thermostat was now available with a safety cut out," he added.

In light of the incident, Dave Oldreive, maintenance development manager at Pembrokeshire County Council, issued this response: "Investigation into the incident in Taunton Deane reveals that the incident occurred as a result of a number of concurrent circumstances which culminated in the tragic results. "The system was controlled by an immersion heater without the benefit of a 'cut out' mechanism should the thermostat fail. "The thermostat was set at a level far in excess of the norm, while the overflow from the system was into a cold water tank which was inadequately supported in the loft space.

"The tenants failed to recognise the excessive noise and the hot water coming out of the cold water taps as an issue and did not report it to their landlord," he explained.

Following a previous incident, Government guidelines were issued in April 2004 to replace immerson heaters with units containing a 'safety cut out' when they broke down. This was fully adopted by Pembrokeshire County Council and any unit replaced since then can not experience these problems.

In addition, the extensive programme of upgrading and replacement of heating systems over the last seven years has meant that a large percentage of Pembrokeshire County Councils stock now has combination boilers without the need for hot water storage and immersion heaters. This programme continues into 2008/09 to upgrade systems as they come to the end of their economic life.

"Despite all of this, there is always a possibility that any system can fail and it is important that everyone is reminded of the potential consequences. Taunton Deane issued the following guidance and a similar message should be passed to Pembrokeshire county council tenants as a matter of course," continued Mr. Oldreive. If you have concerns about your heating system, there are extremely simple ways to identify if a problem exists, e.g. - if there is an unexpected rise in the temperature of your hot water; if there is warm or hot water coming through your cold water taps; if you hear any unusual noises from your heating system, including banging or bubbling. If you experience any of these problems, you should immediately turn off the immersion heater and report the fault to the council.

As a further safeguard, Pembrokeshire County Council is looking at options for including the remaining immersion heaters into its void and routine inspections.