Blanket check

MORE than half of over 100 electric blankets examined by experts during a recent safety check in Shetland were condemned as unsafe.

The proportion of failures was almost double last year’s figure when a similar safety roadshow was run throughout the isles.

Anyone whose electric blanket was found faulty received a £10 voucher towards a replacement from the Electrical Safety Council. The roadshow was sponsored by the Shetland Community Safety Partnership

A checklist to allow anyone to carry out their own safety checks to their electric blankets is available at www.shetland.gov.uk/tradingstandards.

Shetland councillor Allison Duncan said every faulty blanket identified was potentially a life saved.

“Trading Standards advise that if an electric blanket is over 10 years old it should be replaced, and a new one might make an ideal Christmas present for someone – but make sure that the old blanket is properly disposed of so that it doesn’t get used again,” Mr Duncan said.