FREE tests are being offered on electric blankets to ensure that Bury residents can sleep safely this winter.

Town hall bosses have urged people to take advantage of the scheme, and say it could make the difference between life and death.

In recent years, 50 per cent of blankets failed the test and were declared unfit for use. A further 20 per cent required repairs by an electrician.

The annual tests are being run once more by Bury Council's trading standards officers, with two sessions set aside for next week.

The first is next Friday, September 21, at St John's Social Centre in Parkinson Street, Bury; the second the following day at Radcliffe Civic Suite.

Councillor Pam Walker, public protection spokesman, said that there were an estimated three million electric blankets in the country which were more than ten years old. Around 600 fires were caused each year by blankets, many of them old ones. "People do not realise how long they have had their blankets and do not have any way of checking, by themselves, whether they are safe," she said.

"This free service is potentially a life-saver and is a perfect opportunity to have an expert check your blanket over, if only for peace of mind."

Inspections at next week's sessions must be booked, to allow electricians enough time to test the blankets and make any minor repairs. To book, call 0161 253 5578/5566. Blankets which pass the test will be given a certificate, and the council will dispose of those which fail. Last year, officers removed the wiring and gave the blankets to the Wood Street Mission, a refuge for homeless people in Manchester.

THE two safety check days will also be used to promote a range of services and facilities. These include home safety and consumer services, community policing and Home Watch Schemes, fire service information, health promotion, Carelink, Age Concern and local library services.