THERE were 122 house fires in Widnes last year - that's one every three days!

Chip pans left unattended, carelessly discarded matches, faulty electric appliances and bad wiring caused most of the fires.

Yet, they could all have been easily avoided.

This week, as part of national fire safety week, Widnes firefighters are setting up a display in Green Oaks shopping mall.

They will be re-creating hazards in the home to show people how easy it is to prevent house fires.

Shoppers can have a go at identifying the potential risks.

Widnes fire chief Kevin Hughes has produced a pamphlet which highlights the hazards and gives simple tips on what to do if a fire breaks out.

"We want to give the people of Widnes a greater understanding of what to do in emergencies," said station commander Kevin Hughes.

"More importantly, we want to show them how to ensure the emergencies don't arise in the first place."

Halton councillor Rob Polhill is vice-chairman of the recently formed combined fire authority.

He said: "We are very supportive of all the work firefighters are doing in the community to improve fire safety.

"Sometimes, people don't realise how easy it is for a house fire to start."

Halton Council's consumer protection division pledged their support to the initiative with information and posters.

They will be offering free testings on electric blankets and christmas tree lights early in November as part of national consumer week.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.