[bbfan1991]

Six family members have been treated for carbon monoxide after a grandmother used an indoor barbecue to dry clothes.

The unnamed woman lit the barbecue in the kitchen before leaving the house in east London last week.

Her 3-year-old granddaughter collapsed after being poisoned by the deadly gas, and was later treated at a nearby hospital with her family.

The poisoned family also included two boys aged between two and ten months, a four-year-old girl and her two daughters-in-law, aged 26 and 29.

Firefighters were called to the property in East Ham on Wednesday (January 2), after she had placed the appliance near the back door of the house at around 3pm.

All six family members have since been discharged from hospital.

The grandmother has been criticised for dangerous behaviour by fire chiefs. The London Fire Brigade's Dave Brown said: "In my 28-year career I have never heard of anybody using a barbecue to dry clothes let alone using one indoors.

"Never, ever bring a lit or smouldering barbecue indoors. Not only is it a serious fire risk but it also emits carbon monoxide, which is a poisonous gas that can kill or seriously injure."

Christine McGourty, of the 'Carbon Monoxide - Be Alarmed!' campaign, said: "Using a barbecue indoors is always dangerous, but carbon monoxide poisoning is usually caused by faulty or poorly-maintained fuel appliances, such as boilers, ovens and fires. We'd urge everyone to get an alarm and make sure their family is safe."

The Department of Health recently stated that 50 people are killed each year from carbon monoxide poisoning, with at least 4,000 being treated in hospital.