Safety checks carried out to help Ealing's elderly sleep safely (From Ealing Times)

Safety checks carried out to help Ealing's elderly sleep safely

9:30am Monday 1st December 2008

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DOZENS of elderly people will be able to sleep safely in their beds this winter thanks to a safety check.

Ealing Council's trading standards officers teamed up with the Fire Brigade to test more than 50 electric blankets as the cold weather really kicks in.

Colleen Lewis, 71, was one of the people who took her blanket along to be tested by expert Dave Tingey.

The Highview Road resident said: “I think it's a great idea as it's really vital people are safe when they go to bed.

“One story which sticks in my mind is my friend, who put her electric blanket on before she went to bed.

“She told me she went into the bedroom and found the bed was actually smoking, and was seconds away from catching fire.

“That really got to me so I made sure I came and got to this and made sure my blanket was safe.”

One blanket tested by Mr Tingey, an electrical safety consultant, had been made in the 1960s, and had to be condemned because it was in such a dangerous state.

He said: “What we're looking for is bare wires and anything else in these blankets which could cause problems.

“The biggest risk from electric blankets is with fires, but modern ones have a safety system built into them which should stop problems. I'm running on a 34 per cent failure rate this year.

“Some of the blankets I see coming in are really dangerous, but that;'s the point of doing these tests, to try and stop people suffering because of faulty equipment.”

Anyone who is told their blanket is unsafe is given a voucher to go towards buying a new one courtesy of Ealing Council.

Kelley Eaton, a consumer advisor for the council, said: “We run these free tests to try and help people stay safe in their homes.

“For elderly people especially these blankets can be very useful. We've run this scheme for the past four years, and want to make sure as many people as possible use the service.”

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