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Personal injury, youclaim.co.uk

Christmas ligh
08/12/2010

elated house fire and personal injury solicitors

In December 2009, Christmas shoppers were warned by a member of the European Commission in Brussels that "one third of Christmas lights are likely to electrocute you or set fire to your home". Victims of house fires or electrocution involving Christmas lights may want to seek help from a personal injury solicitor to make a product liability claim.

HSE statistics show that annually an average of 500 UK homes are affected by Christmas light-related fires and 25 percent of all "home decorating" fires occur during the festive season in December.

Safe Christmas Lighting
The Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) has published a guide to keeping homes safe from Christmas light-related fire during the festive season.

People can reduce the risks of fire in their homes by:

  • Making sure that new lights have the CE safety marking on the box;

  • Checking lights are suitable for a 230 volt connection (in UK);

  • Looking at leads and connectors on old lights for any faults;

  • Replacing damaged lights;

  • Not overloading sockets;

  • Keeping wires out of reach of young children, pets and water, and;

  • Switching off lights when going to bed or leaving the house for any amount of time.

House fire safety plan
A fire can progress through a whole house in less than two minutes and toxic smoke can render someone unconscious in two to three breaths, killing a person in less than one minute.

Having a plan in case of house fire could save lives. Directgov give helpful tips on how to keeping safe and prepare for a house fire.

Keep safe by:

  • Getting a fire alarm;

  • Testing the fire alarm once a week;

  • Replacing the battery once a year;

  • Replacing fire alarm every ten years;

  • Being careful when cooking;

  • Not overloading sockets;

  • Putting cigarettes out completely.

Be prepared for house fire by:

  • Planning to escape through a front or back door, which are often the best routes;

  • Having a torch and any other useful tools ready;

  • Having a backup escape route in case the first one is blocked.;

  • Keeping exits clear;

  • Knowing how to get pets and old, young or disabled family members out safely.

There are an average of five people, between the ages of 17 and 24, killed or injured by fires in Britain every day and the risks of dying in a house fire increase more than twofold if there is not a working fire alarm in the house.

Fire can ruin homes and destroy lives. During the festive season, when decorating the Christmas tree, disaster can be averted if rules from fire safety authorities are followed and families have an escape plan should the worst happen.

If a house does catch alight, it is always more important for the people inside to save themselves and family members than personal belongings.

Seeking help from a personal injury solicitor to make a product liability claim
YouClaim work on a no win, no fee basis and don't take a cut of your award should your claim be successful. You will receive 100% compensation if your case is won.

We have a high success rate and our solicitors are experts in their respective fields.

If you think you may be eligible to claim, simply fill in our short online claim form, or phone a team member for advice on 0800 10 757 95.

To see if you could claim compensation for pain, suffering and loss of earnings caused by a Christmas light-related house fire, contact YouClaim. One of our personal injury solicitors could help you receive the compensation due to you.