Children’s bedrooms at risk of electrical fire
Wednesday, 24 August 2011 2:20 PM
Children’s bedrooms could be at serious risk of electrical fire, a new survey has found.
According to research by AA’s Home Emergency Response Service, nearly a third of children are unsupervised by their parents when using electrical equipment and their bedrooms are potential danger zones.
The survey found that 12 per cent of British homes have wiring over 30 years old and 2.2 million people admit to having plugged ten or more electrical items into a single plug socket.
The research highlighted that children’s bedrooms host a wealth of electrical appliances used with little or no adult supervision, and these could be among the areas of the house most at risk.
Over half (58 per cent) of UK children have a TV in their bedroom, 40 per cent have a mobile phone and charger, 39 per cent have a games console and 32 per cent have a computer.
One in 50 children even has their own fridge in their room, according to the research.
The AA said the combination of old wiring and inappropriate use of electrical appliances could be putting many homes at risk of electrical fires.
There are over 3,000 fires a year caused in UK homes by electrical circuits, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of casualties, and thousands more accidental fires ignited by electrical appliances, the survey said.
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