Attempted gas attack at Dunfermline salon

AN APPARENTLY deliberate attempt to sabotage a boiler and cause
poisonous carbon monoxide fumes to flow into a Dunfermline beauty salon
has caused terrified staff to fear for their lives.

Complete Hair and Beauty on Chapel Street was the target of
what appears to have been a malicious attack which could have killed
staff and clients had it not been for a new boiler that was only
installed last year.

A plastic oil canister (right) was cut into and placed over
the gas flue at the back of the building, causing deadly carbon monoxide
fumes to flow back into the system. Luckily for the occupants of the
salon, the boiler switched itself off thanks to a safety mechanism.

Rona Beveridge, who owns the salon, branded the incident an
“evil” act. “We’re really scared because we don’t know what they’re
going to do next,” she told the Press.

“It’s really unsettling and we’re worried sick. If somebody
is capable of that, then what else are they capable of? They are messing
with people’s lives and could have ended up killing us. There are young
staff with babies that come in and elderly clients with breathing
difficulties. It’s unbelievable that someone could be that callous and
do such an evil act. The consequences don’t bear thinking about. It
could have been fatal.”

The sabotage was discovered on Tuesday last week when Rona
realised that the boiler had turned itself off but it wasn’t until the
plumbers came to inspect the gas flue that the canister was found.

“The boiler switched off around mid-morning,” Rona
explained. “It flashed with an error code so I looked it up and phoned
the plumbers. They came out to look at the boiler but couldn’t find any
fault. Then they went out the back and found a plastic oil canister with
a perfect circle cut out of it covering the flue, so I contacted the
police straight away.”

She added, “We’re lucky we had a new boiler installed in
December with a safety cut-off. If we’d still had the old boiler we’d be
breathing carbon monoxide fumes. It was very dangerous for staff and
for customers.”

Police Scotland confirmed they are investigating an incident reported at the premises.

Read More: Gas Steam Boiler,  Oil Steam Boilers