£300K Seed Funding for Wirral Carbon Monoxide Testing Company

18th September 2007

A company that has developed a unique means of testing Carbon Monoxide (CO) detectors has been backed by Merseyside Special Investment Fund’s Liverpool Seed Fund.

Detectagas based on the Wirral, has invented a patented method to test sensors in domestic CO detectors. A harmless gas mixture is sprayed on to the detector which is then covered in a “shroud” to hold in the gas. This ensures gas exposure is at the level and time period required for the sensor to trigger the alarm which, unlike a fire alarm which sounds the instant it senses smoke, takes samples of air over a period of minutes to avoid false alarms.

Around 50 people a year in the UK die from CO poisoning and low level exposure to the gas through faulty devices is linked to a variety of illnesses including ME and Alzheimer’s as well as foetal abnormalities.

MSIF’s Seed Fund has invested £300k to fund the further development of the business and Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank also provided support. Liverpool Ventures advised Detectagas throughout the funding process and will continue to work with the company.

Detectagas was set up in 2005 and is run by directors John Stones and Beverley Jenkins. The company has recently relocated from North Wales to new offices in Birkenhead.

Managing Director, John Stones said “The test button on most CO Detectors checks the alarm bell but doesn’t test the sensor which has a limited life of around five years. Around six million detectors are currently fitted in UK homes and approximately 80 million throughout the USA. As currently the sensors are not tested it could mean that some do not work. The test costs just £1.30 per alarm and only needs to be carried out annually.

“We are already in talks with a major UK gas service provider and also with Home Depot Supply which is part of the largest DIY retailer in the USA.”

“The support from the Liverpool Seed Fund and Liverpool Ventures has been crucial to developing the business and we are delighted to move to Merseyside”.

Liverpool Seed Fund Investment Manager, Mike Bakewell said: “No other test like this exists and Detectagas has already received a lot of interest. We believe there is a considerable global market and expect the business to do very well.”

Peter Leather, a consultant with Liverpool Ventures said: “Detectagas has already been recognised at the Millenium Products Awards for its innovation. The company is run by a strong management team and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them.”

Detectagas anticipate significant growth and expect to double its workforce over the next 12 months.

For more information visit www.detectagas.com

Ends

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Photo shows L-R – Beverley Jenkins and John Stones (Detectagas) with Mike Bakewell (Liverpool Seed Fund)

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