SMOKERS in Wyre Forest are being warned that they must wake up to the deadly dangers of smoking – especially when tired – as part of the Fire Kills campaign.

Smoking is the single biggest killer in accidental fires in the home, often because of careless behaviour such as smoking in bed or not taking care after drinking alcohol.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is reminding smokers to ‘put it out, right out’ whenever they light up, to install smoke alarms on every level of the home and to test the smoke alarms weekly.

Alan Haley, station commander from the Community Risk Department, said: “Every six days, someone dies from a fire caused by cigarettes or smoking materials. Despite a fall in the overall number of fires caused by these products, it’s still the biggest killer in accidental fires in the home across the country.

“Every smoker should wake up to the risks they take every time they light up, and drop the habit of smoking while in bed or under the influence of alcohol. The risk of falling asleep before you ‘put it out, right out’ is just too great.

“I would also urge people to test their smoke alarms are working on a weekly basis. If you have any vulnerable friends, family or neighbours, help them to test theirs too.”