Father gassed to death on weekend break by the sea

A CORONER yesterday issued a warning to holidaymakers after a visitor to Whitby was gassed to death while saving on bed and breakfast costs.

Father-of-one John Fairburn, 33, from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, enjoyed nights out in Whitby and stayed in guesthouses until he bought a Ford Transit van and rigged up a gas heater in the back, an inquest heard.

On November 7, Mr Fairburn told friend Mark Bell he was going to Whitby for the weekend, and sent him a couple of text messages from pubs urging him to follow.

A fortnight later a PC spotted the van parked and locked in Esk Terrace, Whitby, and smashed a window to get in. Mr Fairburn was dead from carbon monoxide poisoning next to the switched-on heater, which had run out of gas.

Recording an accident verdict, North Yorkshire East Coroner Michael Oakley said: “There is a sad lesson to be learned for people who sleep in their vehicles and use any heater of this type. It is most important the vehicle is properly ventilated.”