Get a takeaway if you're drunk says fire chief

Since the snow arrived last weekend, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service has dealt with 14 accidental house fires, more than 30 per cent of them started when people were cooking in their homes.

David Lockhart, community safety manager at LBFRS, said: "With Christmas just around the corner and Christmas parties taking place over the next few weeks, we want people to enjoy themselves, but never forget the dangers of cooking after having taken alcohol.

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"My advice would be to stop on the way home and get something to eat from a takeaway, rather than putting the cooker on when you get home.

"I've seen lives devastated by the affects of fire and alcohol."

The number of accidental house fires in Lothian and Borders in the past few days is down on the 24 such fires in a similar period during the cold spell in late December last year.

Between last Saturday and Thursday, firefighters were called to eight accidental house fires in Edinburgh, two in East Lothian, two in West Lothian, one in Midlothian and one in the Borders. Between December 22-27 last year, they dealt with 19 such fires in Edinburgh, one in East Lothian, one in West Lothian, one in Midlothian and two in the Borders.

Mr Lockhart said: "It's good news that so far we have recorded 41 per cent less house fires when compared with a similar cold snap last year, but we cannot be complacent."

And he urged people to be extra vigilant to the dangers of fires in the home as they tried to keep warm. He said: "A lot of accidental fires in the home are caused through cooking but we also see many incidents in this type of weather caused by clothing being placed too close to open fires or heaters.

"As the big freeze sets in, be aware of the dangers of being near frozen areas of water and travelling on the roads.

"Firefighters all too often have to deal with the consequences of people falling through ice or being involved in road traffic collisions. Please take care when outside, whether it be walking the dog or driving the car."

He said the fire service had continued to carry out home safety visits despite the weather.

"This is a free service for people living in our area. We will give personalised home safety advice and also fit a free smoke alarm. If you know someone living without a smoke detector in their home, please let them know about the service or contact us on 0800 169 0320."

Mr Lockhart's warnings were backed by the convener of the fire and rescue board, Councillor Mike Bridgman, who said: "It's imperative that people stay safe. We all know that under the influence of alcohol things can go wrong and it's important that people are aware of that. I would hope that they would be sensible when they've been drinking.

"It's a very dangerous thing to do to try and fry chips, or anything like that, when under the influence."