Cookers biggest cause of appliance-related fires in Warwickshire

New figures from the Home Office show that 334 house fires were started by a household appliance in the county between April 2012 and March last year.

Almost half the incidents attended by the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were started by cookers, with 156 fires causing 20 deaths or casualties over the five-year period.

The most common domestic appliances to cause fires in Warwickshire between April 2012 and March 2017 were:

Cookers, including ovens: 156 fires

Grills and toasters: 30

Separate rings and hot plates: 25

Tumble dryers: 22

Dishwashers: 16

The Fire Brigades Union warned that both manufacturers and householders have a duty to prevent fires caused by everyday appliances.

A spokesman for the union said: "Manufacturers have a duty to ensure the products they sell are safe for the public to use and do not pose a threat to life.

"We can all play our part in reducing fire risk by registering products with the manufacturers when we buy them, so that we are notified if there is a safety-related recall.

"Make sure that the electrical wiring in our homes is in good order, and ensure that we have working smoke alarms and we have a plan for what to do if they go off."

Between April 2012 and March 2017, 40 fires started by domestic appliances caused deaths or injuries.

Over 74 fires were started by faulty appliances or leads in Warwickshire over the five years. Across England, such faults started over 13,000 fires.

The most common reason for fires started by appliances was misuse of the equipment, which caused 130 fires in Warwickshire, and nearly 48,000 nationally.

But the old staple of fire safety talks, chip pans, were still the cause of 34 fires in Warwickshire, and over 9,000 fires nationally.