Derbyshire fire and rescue services are offering free electric blanket tests as research recently carried out show that older people are six times more likely to die in a house fire caused by a faulty electric blanket.

Before the test the blanket owners will be asked to sign an acceptance form to confirm that they are willing for Derbyshire fire and rescue service to dispose of the blanket if it happens to fail the tests. The reason for this is so that nobody can go home with a dangerous product that could have the potential to cause a fire.

The fire service will be at the Bakewell fire station on the Buxton road on the 12^th of March from 9:30am to 2:00pm.

The service is offering free fleece toppers to people over the age of sixty or registered disabled on a first come first serve basis. These fleece toppers will provide some much needed extra heat in the cold nights.

A spokesman said: “Take a big step towards sleeping safely at night and pull the plug on your unsafe electric blankets.”

Likewise Cambridgeshire fire and rescue service are running a similar campaign, from 10am to 1pm on the 6^th of March residents aged 65 and over can bring in their old electric blankets and exchange them for a new one. Along with the exchange there will be volunteers who will be on hand to give out fire safety advice.

Wendy Coleman, Community Risk Manager at CFRS, said: “Faulty electric blankets are a significant fire risk, with more than 70 per cent failing safety checks at previous electrical testing events.”

Representatives from Age UK Cambridgeshire will also be at the event to offer advice and information about free energy efficiency assessments.