FOI Ref: FOI/2022/4566
You asked
Number of deaths, split by year, caused by electrocution or fire due to interference or damage to the electricity metering installation and/or incoming supply cable and general geo-location of each death.
Number of deaths, split by year, caused by gas exposure, gas explosion or fire due to interference or damage to the gas metering installation and/or incoming supply pipe and general geo-location of each death.
Number of injuries, split by year, caused by electrocution or fire due to interference or damage to the electricity metering installation and/or incoming supply cable and severity and general geo-location of each injury.
Number of injuries, split by year, caused by gas exposure, gas explosion or fire due to interference or damage to the gas metering installation and/or incoming supply pipe and severity and general geo-location of each injury.
Number of reported crimes to the police relating to energy or gas theft, dishonest use or abstraction of electricity, interference or damage to electricity or gas meters and/or incoming cables or pipes, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
Number of crimes investigated by the police relating to energy or gas theft, dishonest use or abstraction of electricity, interference or damage to electricity or gas meters and/or incoming cables or pipes, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
Number of cautions given by the police relating to energy or gas theft, dishonest use or abstraction of electricity, interference or damage to electricity or gas meters and/or incoming cables or pipes, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
Number of prosecutions attempted by the CPS relating to relating to energy or gas theft, dishonest use or abstraction of electricity, interference or damage to electricity or gas meters and/or incoming cables or pipes, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
Number of prosecutions the CPS that were successful relating to energy or gas theft, dishonest use or abstraction of electricity, interference or damage to electricity or gas meters and/or incoming cables or pipes, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
Number of fires or explosions attended where the cause may be attributed to the interference or damage to the electricity metering installation and/or incoming supply cable, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
Number of fires or explosions attended where the cause may be attributed to the interference or damage to the gas metering installation and/or incoming supply pipe, split by year, and general geo-location of each instance.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
Questions 1 - 4
ONS hold mortality data for England and Wales, this based on the information collected at death registration.
All the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules.
The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as:
the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury
Information on whether the death was caused by interference or damage to either gas or electricity meters is not recorded on the death certificate, therefore we do not hold this information. We can only provide information on deaths by the underlying cause – for example: electric shock, fire, or carbon monoxide poisoning.
We do not hold non-fatal injury statistics, for this information you would need to contact either Health and Safety Executive or NHS Digital.
Numbers of deaths by underlying cause (ICD-10 code), sex, five-year age group and area of usual residence, for England and Wales, 2013 to 2021, are available via the NOMIS webservice.
Please follow these instructions to use the NOMIS webservice:
- Select the geography - (England and Wales, regional or by local authority)
- Select Age - All ages or 5-year age bands
- Select Gender - Total or Male/Female
- Select rates - All deaths, rates or percentage of population for example.
- Select cause of death (ICD-10 code search is available)
- Select format (Excel or CSV for example)
The underlying cause of death for exposure to smoke, fire and flames are ICD-10 codes X00-X09.
The underlying cause code for deaths involving electricity are:
W85 - Exposure to electric transmission lines
W86 - Exposure to other specified electric current
W87 - Exposure to unspecified electric current (Including burns or other injury from electric current, electric shock, and electrocution).
We have published the following bespoke datasets showing deaths from electric shock.
For carbon monoxide poisoning, cause of death is coded a little differently. The underlying cause would be coded to accidental poisoning by gas & other vapours (ICD-10 code X47) along with a secondary cause of death code for toxic effect of carbon monoxide (ICD-10 code T58). You will not be able to obtain these data from NOMIS because NOMIS only includes deaths by underlying cause. However, we have published the following bespoke datasets that you might find useful.
Accidental carbon monoxide poisoning deaths, England and Wales, 2011 to 2015 registrations
You can also find deaths from External causes of morbidity and mortality (Chapter XX) by secondary cause code in Tables 9a and 9b of our annual Deaths Registered Series.
Bespoke tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales are also available to order (subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs, where appropriate). Such enquiries should be made to health.data@ons.gov.uk.
In relation to questions 5 – 11, we do not hold the information that you have requested.
We publish data relating to crime statistics from two main sources: The Crime Survey for England and Wales and crime recorded by the police. Neither of these sources hold data related to energy or gas-related crimes, energy or gas-related prosecutions or electricity or gas related explosions.
Data relating to the number of energy or gas-related crimes reported to the police, the number of energy or gas-related crimes investigated by the police and the number of cautions given by the police for energy or gas-related crimes are primarily collected by the Home Office. They may be able to provide further assistance and can be contacted at the following CrimeandPoliceStats@homeoffice.gov.uk.
Data relating to the number of energy or gas-related prosecutions attempted by the CPS and the number of successful energy or gas-related prosecutions by the CPS are primarily collected by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). They may be able to provide further assistance and can be contacted at ESD@justice.gov.uk.
Data relating to the number of explosions that may be attributed to electricity or gas are primarily collected by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). They may be able to provide further assistance and can be contacted at contacthmicfrs@hmicfrs.gov.uk.