CHESHIRE Fire Brigade has expressed extreme concern over the number of fires attended since Christmas where smoke alarms had no batteries.

The announcement comes after a string of incidents over the past month including a fire in Crewe where two adults and two children were rescued with only seconds to spare.

"What we have here is an extremely sad chain of events. We have had three tragic deaths and seven extreme near misses," said safety officer Terry Jennings.

"A small investment in batteries will ensure that you are given as much time as possible to get out.

"This run of incidents has confirmed what we have suspected, that we have a major problem where people have originally fitted smoke alarms which are now inoperable due to not having a battery.

"Our fear is that we know how many lives have been saved by smoke alarms and it now appears we may be facing an increase in fatalities due to lack of maintainence."

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