AN electric blanket testing event provided some shocking results which have alarmed Cumbria Trading Standards.
Of 624 blankets submitted for testing, only 197 passed with no faults while 425 failed to comply with current safety requirements, and of these, 388 were unfit to be used again.
Two blankets submitted were incapable of being tested.
The event was run in partnership with care agencies across the county with an emphasis on reaching elderly and disabled users.
It visited Grange-over-Sands, where 103 blankets were submitted for testing and 78 failed to pass safety tests, although four were repairable.
"I am very worried at the dangerous condition of many of the blankets submitted for test," said Cumbria County Councillor Jack Richardson, Community Safety spokesperson.
" There are still a lot of electric blankets in the county that are a serious safety risk."
Home Office statistics indicate there are between 800 and 1,000 fires each year caused by electric blankets.
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