Emma Lewell-Buck MP has welcomed funding provided by the Electrical Safety Council (ESC) to local community organisations and local services through its Fire Safety Fund.
This year the Tyne & Wear Joint Committee for Trading Standards is one of the successful applicants to the Fund, which aims to support a range of fire prevention initiatives at a local level to tackle the causes of electrically-related fires.
The committee will organise a number of community events for elderly residents which aim to educate them about electrical safety and highlight potential safety hazards in the home.
Each year, approximately 70 people die and 350,000 are seriously injured as a result of an electrical accident in the home. And, according to government statistics, almost half of all accidental fires in UK homes – over 20,000 each year – are caused by electricity.
Emma said:
“Electrical fires take dozens of lives each year and ruin many more, and it adds to the tragedy that so many of them are avoidable. Schemes like the ESC’s spread important safety information, particularly to at-risk elderly residents, and I am pleased that Shields is set to benefit from these schemes. I know that the local fire and rescue service and South Tyneside Homes already do good work in this area, and I hope that these combined efforts can minimise the fire risk in our area.”
Andrew Hayward, senior trading standards officer said: “ESC funding has been instrumental to the success of previous fire safety projects and we welcome their assistance once again. Utilising links made with partner organisations last year the aim is to target as many vulnerable residents within the region as possible, offering advice on electrical safety and fire prevention within the home.”