A burnt out house shows just how devastating deadly house fires can be (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The Fire Brigades Union has warned government plans to scrap furniture safety tests could risk dozens of lives a year.
Under current rules manufacturers of home furnishings must submit to independent testing on the flammability of products.
These regulations, the union says, save around 50 to 70 lives every year by keeping standards high across the board.
However, now the government has proposed scrapping these rules in favour of a voluntary regime.
Consultation on the plans closed earlier this year and ministers are now considering proposals.
The union warned that the government was using the pretext of dealing with lithium batteries and other hazards to launch a dangerous programme of deregulation.
Firemen putting out a building fire, St Ives, Cornwall, England (Picture: Getty Images)
Union chiefs fear the changes could result in more lives being lost needlessly (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Home fire hazards to watch out for
Homes can present a number of fire hazards especially over Christmas. Here are some to look out for:
Cooking
Keep that turkey moist and avoid leaving items cooking without supervision.
Electrical fires including from overused extension leads
The Christmas tree only comes out once a year, make sure its not overloading the socket.
Open fireplaces and gas and electric heaters
Winter can be especially cold in the UK. Be safe and sensible when heating the home and make sure to turn them off before bed.
Faulty appliances
Game consoles, TVs, even the kitchen kettle could all posefire hazard even if they have just arrived from Santa.
Candles
They may make the house smell festive but they can be easy to knock over by excited children or adults who have enjoyed a bit too much eggnog.
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: ‘As members of the public shop for furniture in this year’s Boxing Day sales, they should be aware the UK government is planning to scrap crucial safety regulations on furniture.
‘The Westminster government wants to scrap mandatory flammability tests for furniture, opening the door for manufacturers to sell furniture that may be hazardous.
‘Research shows that the current regulations save 50 to 70 lives every single year. The Fire Brigades Union fought for decades to put them in place.
A wrecked kitchen shows how quickly fire can spread in the home with many wooden furnishings especially vulnerable to blazes(Picture: Getty Images)
‘The arrival of lithium batteries and other hazards points to the need for more regulation, not less. But the UK government is putting the interests of profit and big business over the safety of the rest of us.
‘We had hoped that the Grenfell Tower disaster would make ministers wake up to the dangers of profit driven de-regulation. It seems they have learned nothing.
‘Ministers must think again.’
Earlier this year a house fire ripped though a house in Hounslow killing six people.
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And a mother and two children from Cambridge were another example of how deadly house fires can be.
The Grenfell Tower disaster claimed the lives of more than 70 people when it ripped though the high-rise just before 1am in June 2017.
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‘It seems government ministers have learned nothing.’
