RESIDENTS in Accrington are being urged to trade in their old chip pans for newer versions in a Chip Pan Amnesty this Saturday.

Hyndburn Homes, a major landlord in the area, is holding two amnesties to help reduce the number of fatal fires caused by chip pan fires.

Chip pans are a cause of many domestic fires and it is hoped the amnesties will eliminate the risk they present, creating safer homes.

The amnesties are giving the public a chance to swap their old chip pans for a new Breville deep fat fryer free of charge. Deep fat fryers are much safer, and a thermostatic control should ensure that they never catch fire.

The fire brigade will be on hand to offer advice to residents and will also carry out fire safety inspections at homes including a maintenance check on smoke alarms and help in planning a fire escape route.

There will also be a controlled fire explosion by the fire brigade to show just how easily a small fire could become a life-threatening inferno.

Zoe Wilmot, Insurance Officer at Hyndburn Homes said: "Chip pan fires account for a fifth of all accidental fires within the home with approximately 4,000 people injured every year. The majority of these incidents occur at night when people have finished cooking but have forgotten to turn off the heat under the pan."

The first event will begin at 10am at Mount Carmel School, Wordsworth Road and the second at 2pm at Moorhead Sports College, Queens Road West.