Peter Lewis-Griffiths was house-sitting at his brother's home

Peter Lewis-Griffiths, 66, died when fumes seeped into his bedroom in North Chailey, East Sussex, an inquest heard.

The jury at Lewes Magistrates' Court said he died in April 2002 as a result of accident contributed to by neglect.

A British Gas computer error meant the boiler had not been serviced. The company said it was "deeply saddened".

Mr Lewis-Griffiths was house-sitting for his brother, David, 72, who was on holiday with his wife in Tenerife, when he died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

'Basic protection'

The inquest heard David Lewis-Griffiths paid �236 to renew a lapsed British Gas three-star service contract in January 2000.

His contract was among 1,500 cancelled in error because of a computer glitch and as a result, service visits were missed.

"We feel that the death would have been prevented by the provision of the basic protection guaranteed by the three-star contract," said the jury forewoman.

Following the four-day hearing, Mr Lewis-Griffiths said: "We are pleased with the verdict and we hope that lessons can be learned and that Peter's death saves further lives."

Head of safety for British Gas, Chris Bielby, said it was clearly stated during the inquest that the boiler had been installed by a third party, and that other Corgi-registered engineers had attended it in the past.

"British Gas has campaigned for many years to raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and we're deeply saddened that something like this could happen in one of our customers' homes."