THE county fire chief is appealing to Leigh families to sling their chip pans in the bin and help to cut down the number of blazes in the home.

Greater Manchester's County Fire Officer George Almond is advising people to use deep fat fryers -- or bake oven chips instead.

His National Chip Week call reveals that chip pans are still a major cause of fires in the home, and during 1999 more than 2,500 house fires and 872 injuries were cooking related.

Mr Almond said: "If people followed basic guidelines it would save them the pain of having fire destroy their property or cause injury. Chip pan fires occur when the oil or fat catches fire or when fat spills over onto the cooking ring and ignites.

"To avoid this happening people should never fill a chip pan more than one third with oil and never, ever, leave the kitchen while cooking chips.

"Sometimes people fall asleep after putting the pan on. People should avoid alcohol and never cook chips if they're tired or taking medication. The safest thing to do is throw away the chip pan and use a deep fat fryer or oven chips."

He says reaction to a chip pan fire is important.

It should only be tackled if it is safe to do so. Advice is to cover the chip pan with a fire blanket or damp cloth and do not remove it for at least 30 minutes. Get out of the house, call the fire brigade and stay out.

One final warning is never to use water on a chip pan fire -- the effects can be devastating.