Merry flaming Christmas

Millions of Britain's homeowners could see their merry Christmas go up in smoke this year according to a new study from Tesco Home Insurance.

Over two fifths (42%) of households (9.8 million homes) will leave their Christmas tree lights burning brightly when they go out, with a worrying 43% of them admitting they choose to do so because it looks nice!

A shocking one in five (22%) admit that they leave the lights switched on all through the night when they are sleeping.

Nearly one in four homes (23%) will also have candles flames flickering in unattended rooms for long periods of times, and a staggering one million homeowners will not snuff them out before going to bed.

Tom Carlin, senior product manager for Tesco Home Insurance, comments: "For so many of us Christmas wouldn't be Christmas unless we decorate our homes with a well-lit tree and festive candles. However, it should never be at the expense of safety. We would encourage people to take every sensible precaution to avoid the traumatic experience of a house fire."

Sir Graham Meldrum, HM Chief Inspector of Fire and Rescue Service, adds: "It is a shocking statistic that people are 50% more likely to die in an accidental house fire during Christmas period than at any other time of the year. At Christmas there are extra fire risks all around us - decorations which burn very easily; Christmas tree lights that haven't been used for a year; cigarettes and cooking left unattended while you open another present of have another drink; to candles that get forgotten about and left unattended."

It is therefore encouraging that almost all of us (92%) have smoke alarms fitted, with the majority (79%) regularly checking that they are working properly.

However, one in seven (14%) confess to leaving it without a battery for some period of time.

Meldrum continues: "I would urge people to ensure that have a working smoke alarm on each level of their home. Test the alarm once a week to make sure they are working and don't be tempted to remove any batteries to power presents over Christmas."

To remove the need to use or remember to replace batteries, Tesco Home Insurance is giving away the unique FireAngel battery free Plug-In Smoke Alarm*, to the first 2,000 new customers who buy a Tesco Home Insurance policy from 13 December 2006.

Carlin concludes: "We want to help by customers by not only giving them peace of mind that they are covered for any material loss but also make it easier to protect themselves. While having an operational smoke alarm might not stop the fire occurring, it can stop a traumatic event becoming a human tragedy."