ACCORDING TO

IT is December once again and we are all putting up our Christmas decorations ready for the festive season. For many of us that means going up the loft or scrabbling around at the back of a cupboard to bring out the ones from last year.

So we put up the Christmas tree, put the lights on it, cover it in baubles, put the star, Santa Claus or a fairy on top and stand back and admire our handiwork. Beautiful.

But how many of us even give a thought to how safe those tree lights are. Not many, I suspect, and yet when we took the lights down last year we probably just pushed them into a bag or a box.

Now I am not suggesting we should all buy new lights every year but we should all be aware that wiring can get damaged and cause a fire. Also if your tree lights are very old it is probably better to replace them as new ones have higher safety standards.

The sensible thing we should all do is only have the lights on when someone is in the house and never leave them on when you go to bed. If they start to constantly flicker or go on and off it is probably time to buy a new set and you should buy them from a reputable source.

If the fuse goes make sure you use the correct one for Christmas lights and also ensure the bulbs are not touching anything which burns easily, like paper. Also it is important plug sockets are not overloaded.

Over recent years we have become increasingly fond of candles, especially at Christmas. They do look very pretty and add a special atmosphere. Obviously these are a potential fire hazard and we should take great care when using them.

They should always be in a proper, stable holder and only placed on a heat resistant surface. They should always be kept away from anything flammable like curtains, furniture, paper Christmas decorations or the tree, especially a real one which has dried out. Candles should be placed where children and pets cannot reach and definitely not under shelves.

The other advice we should take heed of is not to move them whilst they are lit and to snuff them out and double check they are out before you leave the house or go to bed.

Make sure your smoke alarms are working properly and follow the guidelines for tree lights, candles and decorations, it only takes two or three breaths of toxic smoke from a fire to render a person unconscious.

So decorate your tree and your home, have a wonderful time but be fire safe this Christmas.