COOKERS, stand-alone hobs and toasters are the domestic appliances most likely to start fires in Wiltshire.

New figures from the Home Office show that 464 house fires were started by a household appliances in the county between April 2017 and March this year.

More than half the incidents attended by the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were started by cookers, with 262 fires causing 22 deaths or casualties over the year.

The Fire Brigades Union warned both manufacturers and householders have a duty to prevent fires caused by everyday appliances.

A spokesman for the union said: “Manufacturers have a duty to ensure the products they sell are safe for the public to use and do not pose a threat to life.”

Between April 2017 and March 2018, 39 fires started by domestic appliances caused deaths or injuries.

The most common reason for fires started by appliances was misuse of the equipment, which caused 255 fires in Wiltshire and Dorset, and over 8,700 nationally.

But the old staple of fire safety talks, chip pans, were still the cause of 26 fires locally, and nearly 1,600 fires nationally.