Christmas fire warning

Firefighters are warning us to make sure we don't overload sockets with Christmas lights or leave candles burning when we go to bed this Yuletide.

They're common ways fires can start over the Christmas period.

Thomas Warner from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been telling Heart small things going wrong can potentially wreck your Christmas - like having a cat knock a candle over.

Having even a small fire in your home can mean you have to move out - something that would be difficult to cope with at Christmas.

The kitchen is also a potential danger area.  Thomas has been telling us "people may be consuming more alcohol than they normally would do, and you also might have people doing the cooking who don't necessarily do a lot of cooking during the rest of the year."

During the last twelve months, more than forty per cent of accidental fires in the home in Bedfordshire were kitchen fires and caused by what firefighters call 'careless handling.'

Listen to our interview with Thomas Warner from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue