TEENAGE mum Rosa Gates and her baby were without gas for six weeks in a rented home she has describes as a "death trap".

Miss Gates (17) has lived in the house on Eton Hill Road with her son Connor for 18 months.

"I had smelled gas on and off for five months and suffered headaches. Connor, who is eleven months old, had to be checked at Fairfield Hospital because he wasn't sleeping and was off his food. I thought the gas was wafting in from outside."

But six weeks ago she finally decided to call out Transco, the gas safety experts, who found there was a gas leak.

Miss Gates claims she then told her landlords, brothers Nigel and Andy Cousins, but says they refused to do anything for two weeks until they were served with a notice by the environmental health department.

"The man my landlords sent entered the house smoking a cigarette. I couldn't believe it. On top of that he couldn't produce a council of registered gas installer certificate," said Miss Gates.

"He did the repairs but broke a valve so I was without gas for another week. The next time he arrived he said it would need a new boiler and he would be back in an hour, but he didn't return until a week later."

The new boiler was installed and working by Wednesday of last week, but that evening Miss Gates could smell gas again and once more called out Transco.

They found the pipe had not been properly reconnected and a washer was missing, and did the repair there and then.

"They demonstrated just how bad the gas leak was by pouring washing-up liquid on it. The liquid bubbled where the gas was escaping."

"They also said that if I had gone to bed that night I would not have woken up because the build-up of the gas leak was so bad."

Being without a gas supply meant Rose was without a cooking, heating and hot water supply and had to travel by public transport to her mother's Whitefield home to do her washing.

She now intends to take her landlords to court for placing her and Connor in danger.

When the Radcliffe Times contacted Mr Cousins he disputed Miss Gates' version of events but declined to comment further.