The regulator said home care providers, many of which are private companies, needed to work closely with local authorities to remedy the problems.

BBC: Elderly 'suffer from poor home care'

Jill Finney, deputy chief executive of the Care Quality Commission, said that a report written by the regulator following an inspection of the home "made clear it was a safeguarding incident" whereby there was a case of abuse.

BBC: CQC responds to care home abuse case

The family of a 48-year-old man who died within hours of being taken into a nursing home have called for tougher powers for the industry's regulator.

BBC: Dean Spicer

"The absence of the valve and regulator would explain how such a large volume of gas would be released into the home, " Curry told CNN.

CNN: 3 charged in deadly Indianapolis home explosion

On top of Mr Flaherty's measures, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada's banking regulator, slapped a loan-to-value limit of 65% on borrowing against home equity.

ECONOMIST: The latest attempt to prick a bubble