An electric blanket testing scheme used across Staffordshire has been labelled a great success.

Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have been testing the blankets for free.

They have done so at many locations in the county during the past few months. The Staffordshire scheme is the largest in the country. More than 2,030 blankets have been tested this year, with 36 per cent failing. Blankets that failed were replaced free for residents aged over 60.

Testing centres were located at community venues throughout the county with additional drop-off and collection points.

In the Lichfield area 177 blankets were tested and 34 per cent failed.

Twenty eight per cent of the 201 blankets tested in Cannock also failed.

In Stafford 437 blankets were tested with a 39 per cent failure rate.

County Councillor Ben Adams, Cabinet member for communities and culture, said: “Over 500 more blankets were tested this year than in 2008.

“It’s good to see that so many Staffordshire residents see this as an essential service and are aware of the potential fire risks linked to using unsafe electric blankets.

“That’s why it’s so important that we continue to work with the fire service to educate and inform about this.”

Angela Leigh, risk reduction manager from Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, added: “More than 700 electric blankets failed the test and were replaced with new blankets.

“All of these old and unsafe blankets were still in use and were potential accidental fires just waiting to happen. This shows that year on year the electric blanket campaign is having a long term effect on the safety of the community.”

Older or vulnerable Staffordshire residents can receive a free Home Fire Risk Check which identifies the potential fire risks in the home and makes sure that smoke alarms are working correctly.

The home visit offers advice on how to reduce or prevent fire risks and assists in making an escape plan in case a fire should break out.

For information call freephone 0800 0241 999.