A CAMPAIGN to reduce the number of house fires in a County Durham village could be extended if it proves successful.

The fire brigade has chosen Ferryhill for a pilot scheme because it suffers more house fires than any similar-sized community in County Durham.

Community Fire Safety Officer Jon Pringle said: "Generally through the county chip pans are the main cause of fires, but in Ferryhill there doesn't seem to be one specific cause.

"There are a variety of reasons fires start, like faulty electrical equipment, misuse of appliances and that sort of thing."

The fire safety scheme has been running for three weeks and has a number of elements.

Mr Pringle said: "We've been doing demonstrations at various locations in Ferryhill, mainly schools.

"We've gone in giving a talk with a chip pan demonstration, which keeps their interest.

"And firefighters are going into selected areas of Ferryhill and offering a fire risk assessment of people's homes, to make them more aware of the dangers."

There is also a major poster campaign.

At the end of the campaign, statistics will be gathered to assess its effectiveness.

Mr Pringle said: "If it has been successful we'll be looking to introduce this facility into the rest of the borough."