A couple discovered deceased in their camper van at a cider festival were determined to have succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, according to details revealed during an inquest.

The individuals, identified as Christopher Coll, aged 45, and Kayleigh Coll, aged 38, residing in Blandford Forum, Dorset, passed away on October 12 the previous year while participating as exhibitors at the cider craft festival held in the New Forest.

During separate inquests conducted at Winchester Coroner’s Court, it was disclosed that the couple, who were a business owner and a trainee accountant, had attended the fair to showcase their crafts and had stayed overnight in their van within an exhibitor field on the festival grounds.

Their lifeless bodies were found by fellow exhibitor Alexander Huxley, who had socialized with the pair the night before, when they failed to appear at their stall the next morning around 11:30 am. Huxley noticed a gas odor upon opening the van’s door, leading to the tragic discovery.

An examination post the couple’s demise revealed that the gas heater in the van, connected to a partially depleted gas cylinder, was not securely fastened to the gas bottle, resulting in a gas leak.

The coroner, Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, expressed uncertainty regarding how the gas connection became disconnected. Testifying at the inquest, Howard Jonas from Flogas, the company responsible for the inspection, emphasized that parabolic heaters should only be used outdoors or in well-ventilated areas.

The coroner detailed that the couple suffered carbon monoxide poisoning overnight due to operating a camper gas cylinder with an indoor heater not intended for enclosed spaces. She determined their deaths as misadventure, highlighting that the use of the heater indoors, albeit unintentional, led to the tragic outcome.

Despite detecting a butane gas smell in the van, it was clarified that the cause of death was odorless carbon monoxide toxicity. Concerns were raised about the absence of safety warnings on heaters regarding indoor usage.

Family members present at the proceedings reminisced about Kayleigh Coll’s kindness and Christopher Coll’s loving nature, noting his passion for self-sufficiency and land living.

The inquest disclosed that the couple rarely slept in the van, with this instance being a unique occurrence as they strived to establish their business.

The coroner pledged to reach out to heater manufacturers to ensure adequate safety warnings are in place to prevent such tragedies in the future.