Unsafe electric blankets put millions at risk

Many householders using fire-risk models up to 60 years old despite advice to replace them after 10

TWO million people may be using dangerous electric blankets that have not been safety tested, an expert has said.

Firefighters, charities and safety experts have said that older models of electric blankets were potentially lethal. The Sunday Telegraph is also aware of unsafe blankets being sold on internet sites such as eBay.

The number of fires caused by blankets increased from 28 in 2017-18 to 40 the following year, official figures showed.

Over the past five years in London there have been 33 fires caused by the devices, leading to seven injuries and one death.

Old or faulty blankets can cause serious burns. A reader who contacted The Telegraph’s consumer champion Katie Morley received burns to her buttock and thigh after the internal heating elements slid to one side of the blanket.

Official guidance is that the blankets should be replaced after 10 years.

Clive McDonald, of GEMS, a safety testing firm, said he had seen blankets that were up to 60 years old. The number of unsafe blankets is not officially tracked, but Mr McDonald estimated there could be two million.

He added: “When we run tests at a venue we haven’t been to in a while we will typically fail 50 per cent of blankets. When we do a completely new venue this rises to 60 per cent. There has got to be a good couple of million blankets older than 10 years out there.”

Blankets are generally safer today than they used to be. Mr McDonald said he was doing fewer tests. He used to be hired by councils to do tests for residents, sometimes between 250 and 300 sessions a year. But he claimed that council budget cuts meant he was doing a fifth of that number today.

Electrical Safety First, a charity, also warned of potentially unsafe blankets being sold online.

Emma Drackford, its spokesman, said: “Substandard products can have devastating consequences. We have exposed ruthless sellers using online marketplaces to sell on their dangerous items at the expense of consumer safety many times.”

Sharon Boalch, 50, a carer from Worcester, paid £20 on eBay for a blanket. Its location was listed as London, however the seller was a Chinese company. It arrived with instructions in Chinese and a Chinese plug adapter. She did not allow it to be used, fearing her sons, who have severe learning difficulties, could burn themselves.

Mr McDonald said he would condemn any blanket that had no safety information in English. The online auction site eBay refunded the customer and removed the listing, saying its automatic filters blocked five million potentially dangerous products from being listed in the 12 months from October 2018.

The London Fire Brigade said buyers should avoid second-hand blankets and that they should be checked regularly for wear and tear. They should not be used when wet and should usually be unplugged before going to sleep.