South Ayrshire Council News

Although summers is still officially here, South Ayrshire Council is preparing for the colder weather and encouraging people with electric blankets to get a free safety check on them.

Everyone likes to feel safe and warm in bed, but as electric blankets age they can easily become worn and in some cases can cause a fire which is dangerous for anyone but particularly for older or infirm people.

To help prevent this happening the Council is offering residents of South Ayrshire free safety checks on electric blankets.

The purpose of the safety checks is to identify any potential fault in the blanket that may occur if it continues to be used. The reasons blankets fail these tests include general wear and tear, broken or visible wires and lack of electrical output. In general, if the electric blanket is more than ten years old the Council strongly recommend that it is replaced.

Drop-off points for the free safety checks have been arranged throughout South Ayrshire on Thursday 2 September between 10 am and 3 pm. All blankets will be returned back to the drop-off points on Friday 10 September for collection by their owners.

South Ayrshire residents can drop off their blankets at the Council's Trading Standards Office, 5-7 River Terrace, Ayr, or any of the following Council housing offices:

• 2 The Cross, Prestwick
• Municipal Buildings, South Beach, Troon
• 64 High Street, Maybole
• 19 Knockcushan Street, Girvan

The Council first offered these free checks several years ago and uptake has been consistently high. Public demand for the checks has made it necessary for the exercise to be repeated annually. Although this has led to a marked improvement over the years, the fail rate last year was still 22%.

Councillor Peter Convery, Sustainability and the Environment Portfolio Holder said: "The Council is offering to carry out free safety checks on electric blankets which is a good thing to have done. That way when the cold weather sets in and you want to use your electric blanket you will feel safe and secure in the knowledge that it has been properly checked."

Anyone who requires any further information on the testing of electric blankets should contact the Council on 01292 616020.