Chip pans the cause of one-tenth of house fires in Scotland

Blaze warning: More than 20% of house fires in Lothian and Borders were caused by chip pans.© STV

One in ten house fires in Scotland is started by attending chip or hot food pans, it has been revealed.

New figures show that 10.4% of fires last year were started in that manner - a rise on the previous two years.

In the Lothian and Borders region, more than one in five fires was started by a chip pan last year.

The figures were collected by the Conservatives, who called for an awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of leaving chip pans unattended.

The party's local government spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell said: "The number of fires in Scotland caused by chip pans has risen this year and that must be a cause for concern.

"There used to be awareness campaigns warning the public about the risks of leaving hot food pans unattended.

"Our fire services are under enough pressure without having to deal with such a high volume of unnecessary calls.

"These statistics show thousands of cases where carelessness is not only putting extra strain on fire crews, but placing lives across Scotland in danger."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "The number of house fires related to chip or fat pan fires has reduced by more than two-thirds since 2001/02, which we believe indicates an improving awareness of the danger of fire in our homes.

"However, every house fire is one too many and that is why the Scottish Government and fire services continue to work hard educating people about fire prevention measures they can take.

"The most important message we can give is not to be complacent and always be on your guard. We also urge you to get a smoke alarm and check it regularly to ensure it is in working order. Alarms really do save lives.

"Home fire safety visits can also be arranged easily through the Don't Give Fire A Home website."

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