MANY elderly people are dicing with death every time they flick the switch on their electric blankets.

Potentially lethal electric blankets were taken off older people during safety events run by trading standards officials, who were shocked by what they found.

About half of the blankets brought to teams in Northallerton, Ripon, Scarborough and Skipton, in North Yorkshire, were faulty and potentially deadly.

The majority of faults were found in the plugs and leads used to connect them to the mains supply.

But several blankets were were scorched and had no overheating cut-off system.

People with dangerous blankets were given new ones by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Derek Smith, head of consumer services for North Yorkshire County Council trading standards, said: "One was about 40 years old. The owner had looked after it and it was stored properly, but the insulation and the filaments had completely broken down. It was a fire waiting to happen.

"If you've had a blanket for 40 years, it's probably time you splashed out on a new one. Many new ones have a safety cut out. These things don't last forever. They are one of the sources of house fires and it's probably as well to be on the safe side.

"It's a lot cheaper than having a fire in your home."

Councillor Helen Swiers, member for trading standards and regulatory services, said: "Many older adults use electric blankets as a means of keeping warm in winter but some blankets are never taken off the bed and people are unaware when they have become worn or damaged.

"Residents have been dicing with death just turning some of those blankets on and I am very pleased that they are now no longer being used."

It is estimated that faulty electric blankets cause 1,000 fires every year in the UK, resulting in death and injury.

The safety initiative has being run by the department for about five years and is supported by Age Concern and the fire brigade.

Safety sessions are held over a fortnight during autumn as it is this time of year when people think about using electric blankets.

Specialist equipment measures how safe they are by detecting hot spots and break downs.