Declan Oliver died from the silent killer carbon monoxide

Declan Oliver used money from a £2,800 lottery win to buy the stove which he and his dad installed in the summerhouse where he slept.

His dad Ian Oliver, known as Ollie, said the time they spent installing the wood-burning stove at their home in Moreton, was an “absolutely lovely day”.

He said: “All Dec wanted to be was me.

“We were so close, it makes it all so much harder.

“Dec’s hairdresser came around the Tuesday before he died and he told her ‘the best times is when it’s me and dad working together’.

“On that Sunday that’s how it had been.”

The vehicle restorer felt “devastated with guilt” when an investigation found the stove was to blame for his son’s death but found “some comfort” at the inquest, at which the coroner called for fuller instructions.

Mr Oliver added: “I still can’t understand it or believe it.

“The reason we bought the wood burner was it seemed to be a safe, cheap form of heat, quite within the realms of DIY.”

Mr Oliver told an inquest in Bournemouth that he and Declan followed the manufacturer’s instructions to install the £500 appliance.

Mr Oliver said they did not have it checked by a qualified installer because the only warnings were for potential fire hazards, which he felt was “common sense”.

He said there was no mention of carbon monoxide poisoning or the need for ventilation although it did urge consumers to comply with British regulations.

Mr Oliver said he and Declan had fitted the Cottager II cast iron stove, just a week before the tragedy in February.

He said although everyone seemed aware of the dangers of gas appliances there seemed to be a “total ignorance” of similar dangers from wood-burning stoves.

Mr Oliver said that Declan had slept in the brick-built summerhouse for the past 18 months for greater independence.

Mr Oliver told the inquest: “The heating had always been a bit of a problem. We tried modern paraffin heaters and electric fires but they were not particularly effective.”

He added: “Just before Christmas he won some lottery money and decided to spend part of it on a general fuel stove.”

The coroner heard they also bought the recommended flue pipes and accessories for the product.

The inquest was told that Declan was a bright pupil who had left Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester at 16 to work with his father. Mr Oliver said they carried out the fitting on Sunday January 31 and it seemed to be working fine for five days.

“I asked him every morning if it was working well and asked if it was smoky and he said it was fine,” he said.

“He never complained of headaches or anything, if he had I’d have been suspicious straight away.”

The inquest heard Declan was pronounced dead at the summerhouse on Sunday February 7 after being found in bed by his 17-year-old cousin Jordan.

Sheriff Payne, coroner for East Dorset, recorded that Declan died as the result of an accident. He urged communities and local government to demand greater legislation to combat carbon monoxide poisoning, which caused “around five deaths a year”.

• Mr Oliver praised the community for its support and the Dubbing in Dorset event for Volkswagen enthusiasts which is being held at Birchwood Tourist Park, Wareham on June 26-27 in Declan’s memory.