POTENTIALLY life-saving checks on home appliances are being passed up by one in three council tenants in Middlesbrough.

Since Middlesbrough Council technicians started the checks in April, about a third of households have failed to keep the appointments which would allow the inspections to go ahead.

The figures have prompted council officials to warn tenants that they miss their appointments at their peril.

The council is taking the matter so seriously it is alerting tenants that those who wilfully fail to keep appointments will be taken to court and could be evicted.

Local authorities have a legal duty to service gas appliances in all council houses every year.

"We give everyone a date and plenty of warning, so really there should be no excuse,'' said Alan Barnfield, senior projects officer.

"The whole process only takes an hour, but of course it could save lives, so we urge all our tenants to co-operate fully with what we are doing."

Councillor Ron Lowes, executive member for housing, said: "This is a duty which we take with the utmost seriousness, even if a small minority of tenants do not.

"We will not hesitate to use the courts to make sure our homes are safe.

"We would much rather people were sensible about this and kept the appointment in the first place. It's only an hour out of the day, but it provides security and peace of mind for all concerned for much longer, so people should make sure this is an appointment they don't break."

Middlesbrough Council intends to service appliances in more than 11,500 properties during the course of this year.

Other authorities are facing similar difficulties, and in one recent case, Castle Morpeth Council, in Northumberland, was granted an injunction against a tenant who was warned he would be jailed if he refused the council access.

The Northern Echo has long called for tighter laws to prevent deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning as part of its Silent Killer campaign which it took to Downing Street.

Up to the end of last year more than 100 people had died from carbon monoxide poisoning in their homes over the previous five years, with a further 953 being treated for the effects of inhaling carbon monoxide.