An inquest into the deaths of five people heard how the Arçelik cookers created a buildup of deadly carbon monoxide when the grill was used incorrectly with the door closed

The company which produced a cooker linked to at least five people’s deaths didn’t test it with the grill door closed, an inquest has heard.

Maureen Cook, 47, Audrey Cook, 86, Alfred ‘John’ Cook, 90, Kevin Branton, 32, and Richard Smith, 30, all died of carbon monoxide poisoning in two separate incidents.

They died in Cornwall in 2010 and 2012, and it was found they all had cookers made by Arçelik, the parent company of Beko.

During the inquest, it was heard how the cookers created a buildup of deadly carbon monoxide when the grill was used with the door closed.

A spokesperson for Arçelik said the company conducted “misuse” testing, but didn’t foresee the grill being operated with the door closed because they coudln’t “see into the minds of the end user”.

The inquest held in Truro, Cornwall, began on Monday, November 16, and is expected to continue for seven days.

Senior coroner for Cornwall Geraint Williams read out a statement by Alp Karahasanogiu, product director at Arçelik.