The deaths of an entrepreneurial husband and wife at a cider festival in the New Forest National Park have been labelled an “absolute tragedy” by a coroner.
Christopher and Kayleigh Coll, who were 45 and 38, respectively, were found dead in their white Nissan van after staying overnight at the New Forest Cider Festival.
They had been working as stall traders at the October 2025 event, selling small trees made of copper wire.
The Colls, who had four children, had succumbed to fatal fumes from a leaky gas heater which should not have been used indoors, area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said.
She recorded their cause of death as carbon monoxide poisoning during a hearing at Winchester Coroner’s Court on Wednesday.
She also found that the heater was not screwed in tightly to its gas cylinder.
The Colls, from Blandford Forum, Dorset, were last seen having drinks with Alexander Huxley on 11 October in Burley.
They then went to sleep in their van in the field behind the festival, switching the heater on before bed due to the October chill.
The next morning, Mr Huxley grew worried that the pair had not arrived for the start of the festival, and went to look for them.
When he opened the door to the van, he was “hit with a wall of gas” and heard a “hissing noise”.
He then saw that the couple were dead.
The police said that the windows to the campervan were shut.
The couple had been married around four years. Mr Coll was a business owner and Ms Coll was a trainee accountant.
Ms Coll’s mother, Mara Sivyer, said that they had only used the van “for this one occasion” and it was not designed to be a campervan.
“This was a one off, trying to get their business off the ground and they made a fatal mistake,” she said.
“They slept in it once before but that was summer time so no heating.”
Ms Sivyer described her daughter as an “angel”, adding: “She was the most kindest-hearted person you would ever meet.
“If she thought you needed her last pound, she would give it to you.”
Kelly Simonsohn, Mr Coll’s sister, told the inquest: “[Chris] was a good person. He was very loving. He absolutely adored his kids.
“He was very family-centred. He had lots of ideas for the future, a bit like Dell Boy.”
Ms Rhodes-Kemp said that after a toxicology report, it was found the couple had died from carbon monoxide poisoning, but there was no third-party involvement.
“The carbon monoxide would have occurred simply by having it on in an enclosed space.
“On top of that, just to confuse matters further, however it happened, the heater and cylinder have become partially disconnected.
“The heater and gas cylinder connection was not tight. It is a combination of things that have happened.”
The van and the gas heater were taken for testing by the police.
Howard Jonas, an expert gas witness who works for Flogas Britain, said that the cylinder appeared to be in good condition but the heater was not properly attached to the cylinder.
He said that a small knock could cause the heater not to be fitted into the cylinder, but it was unclear how this had happened.
He said that the type of heater being used was a Parabolic heater, which is not designed to be used indoors and must be used in well-ventilated areas.
Mr Jonas said that the heater has no type of sensor to switch itself off.
He said the gas cylinder was “almost empty” and only had 10 per cent of its contents left in it.
Ms Rhodes-Kemp ruled that Mr and Mrs Coll died of carbon monoxide poisoning and gave the conclusion that it was misadventure.
She said that the heater should have a label on it, saying is not suitable for indoor use.
“I will be locating the manufacturers of the heater to see if a warning is on the heater because of the risk of future death,” she said.
“All I can say is I am terribly sorry because it is an absolute tragedy. Two young people to die like this.
“I am sorry for the children and all the friends and family. I really am most desperately sorry.”
Ms Rhodes-Kemp added: “It is just a mistake to close all the windows and turn the heating on. It is an absolute tragedy.
“It was a deliberate act to turn the heater on with a totally unintended consequence.”
