THE brother of a boat owner who died from carbon monoxide fumes believes alarms should be made compulsory.

Shaun Mason spoke after yesterday’s inquest heard his brother Ian “Spike” Mason died with his Staffordshire Bull Terrier Milly from the deadly gas on his canal boat in Banbury.

The 62-year-old had been using a petrol-fuelled electricity generator while watching a film on his laptop when he died on January 2.

Neighbour Christopher Wren raised the alarm after noticing him through a window slumped in his chair.

Mr Mason, 51, said: “People should be very cautious when they get boats.

“My brother had his generator running on his back deck with a canopy over it so it had nowhere to escape.

“The most important thing is that people get a carbon monoxide detector.

“I would like to see it made compulsory.”

The inquest at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Mason, a retired warehouse packer, had blocked air vents when insulating his narrowboat Samara.

A toxicology report showed he had a “fatal level” of carbon monoxide in his body.

Assistant coroner Nicholas Graham recorded a verdict of accidental death.