Carbon monoxide alert at Angus holiday cottage before death

A carbon monoxide alert was raised at a holiday cottage in Angus shortly before a student died of poisoning, a fatal accident inquiry has heard.

Student Tom Hill, 18, collapsed and died 11 days after the holiday home operator was told about a previous tenant becoming unwell.

The farm company has already been fined £120,000 after admitting health and safety breaches at the rental property.

An inquiry into the 2015 incident is ongoing at Forfar Sheriff Court.

Tom Hill was found unconscious at Glenmark Cottage, near Tarfside, where faulty gas heaters were found.

He was on holiday at the remote cottage with his partner Charlotte Beard and her family.

An investigation found that cracks in a bathroom heater led to it producing carbon monoxide at dangerous levels.

The cottage is owned by the Earl of Dalhousie and his heir Lord Ramsay.

Retired teacher Piers Le Cheminant, who sub-let the cottage to others, was also fined £2,000 after a court heard carbon monoxide could have killed visitors over a period of nearly eight years.

The inquiry heard that a previous guest at the cottage had reported becoming physically unwell during her stay.

The carbon monoxide alarm had also sounded.

Mr Le Cheminant was told about the alarm on 17 October 2015.

He told the inquiry he had received an email from regular visitor Nick Hancock that mentioned the carbon monoxide alarm.

He said he was not aware that Mr Hancock's wife had also displayed physical symptoms of illness during her stay.

Mr Le Cheminant said he contacted maintenance man Scott Murray, who did regular jobs at the cottage, and asked him to check the bathroom heater.

He said: "Afterwards, I spoke to Scott on the telephone and he told me he had replaced the cylinder (of the heater) and as far as he could see it was functioning properly."

Mr Le Cheminant said he was not aware that Mr Murray did not have the proper qualifications to work on the heaters.

Fiscal depute Gavin Callahan asked: "Had you known that, would you have asked him to check it?"

"Well, no," Mr Le Cheminant, said, adding: "If I had known that, obviously he would not have been dealing with any of them."

Mr Murray told the inquiry that, contrary to what Mr Le Cheminant claimed, he was not tasked with checking the heaters before the start of each season.

The hearing before Sheriff Reid is expected to conclude this month.