THE county fire chief has appealed to local families to throw their chip pan away and use deep fat fryers -- or bake oven chips instead.

He's asking a lot.

During National Chip Week the Greater Manchester boss has revealed that chip pans are still a major cause of fires in the home.

Many are caused through people playing what Billy Connolly calls Glaswegian roulette -- making chips while drunk. A foolish act, but people will never learn until disaster hits them. I bought a deep fat fryer ages ago, but it takes a lot of faffing about, and after a couple of uses it's gone in the cupboard with the rest of the useless time-saving gadgets.

And oven chips are like cardboard.

So if people feel the same as I do, though I rarely eat them, throwing the chipoil away won't be so easy.

It is, however, sensible advice which should really be acted upon before people get their fingers burned . . . literally.