FIRE officers are urging people to have old electric blankets checked after two blazes on Teesside.

In the first incident, the alarm was raised by the occupants of a house at Cargo Fleet Lane, Ormesby, Middlesbrough, after a faulty electric blanket set fire to a bedroom.

The three adults fled with their two dogs when they realised the fire was too severe to tackle themselves.

Station officer Tony Suggitt said the fire, at 9.30pm on Thursday, was caused by an electrical short circuit.

He said: "The householders told us they had put the electric blanket on about 20 minutes earlier.

"The wiring had short-circuited, causing quite severe damage to the bedroom. The family's actions were textbook - they left the property and called the brigade from next door."

The second fire broke out just before 7am on Friday, in a bedroom at Walnut Grove, Redcar.

Station officer Paul McIntosh said it started because an electric blanket was left on for too long.

He said: "It's getting to that time of year when people are starting to get their electric blankets out.

"We have had two fires involving them in east Cleveland lately. If they are old, the wiring tends to perish. People should have them checked by a qualified electrician."