FIRE safety specialist Doug Spencer has always liked a challenge. But his quest to have sprinklers fitted into homes throughout the UK is becoming an uphill struggle.

Doug has been in contact with every fire and rescue service in the country and has piles of correspondence with the Home Office.

"Everyone agrees that fitting fire sprinklers in houses is a good idea," said a frustrated Doug. "Around 600 people die in house fires every year and most of these deaths could be prevented if sprinkler systems were fitted.

"However, no-one seems to know how new regulations can be introduced to see fire sprinklers installed as a matter of course."

Doug, whose fire safety business Pyrosafe is based in Bacup, first became interested in sprinklers when he heard about a house fire near his home in Stacksteads.

After discovering it had taken 20 minutes for the fire brigade to arrive, he started to look at what additional safety systems were on the market.

He found that domestic sprinklers, commonplace in the United States and on the continent, had an excellent track record going back for more than 20 years.

"I find it amazing that the UK is so far behind the rest of the world," said Doug.

"Modern domestic sprinklers are nothing like those you see in factories. They are fitted above the ceiling and the cover plates, which are all that can be seen, are smaller than a standard light fitting."

Doug said that an effective domestic sprinkler system can be fitted for just £1,200 -- less than the cost of carpets.

If they were installed as part of the construction process, the cost would be even cheaper.

He said sprinklers were effective on all fires and reduced the amound of damage caused by fire, smoke and water.

"There is a big national campaign to persuade people to fit smoke alarms," said Doug. "They do not fight fires --sprinklers do."