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KEEP SAFE AND WARM AS WINTER APPROACHES

Residents in Castle Point can feel warm and safe this winter by making sure their electric blankets are safe to use as the cold weather approaches.

Castle Point Borough Council is offering FREE electric blanket testing for residents on Thursday 19th October from 9.30am – 1.30pm at The Paddocks, Long Road, Canvey Island, no appointment necessary.

Alternatively you can drop off your blanket at the council offices in Kiln Road, Benfleet on the Wednesday and collect it again on the Friday.

For those who are unable to travel, a pickup service is available. Please ring 01268 882461 to arrange this.

The danger from older or damaged blankets is very real. Faulty electric blankets account for fires in the home every year, Please don’t take a chance. Bring any electric blankets you or your family or friends own in to be tested.

At last year’s event, 15% of the blankets checked were found to be faulty and destroyed for safety reasons. Many failures were due to the age of the blanket and several were found to be over 40 years old with no built in safety features. Other reasons included broken power cables, insulation problems, bonding and no overheat protection. Other owners were informed about product safety recalls for their model of blanket that they had not previously been aware of, and they were advised to return the goods for a replacement.

This year’s event is in partnership with Age Concern Canvey Island and while waiting for their blankets to be checked, residents can learn more about that group, as well as get fire safety advice from Essex Fire and Rescue Service, book visits for a smoke alarm, get personal and home safety advice from Essex Police Active Citizens, and much more.