WIRRAL residents are being urged to spring into action at the end of March and make sure they have workign smoke alarms in their home.

The clock change for British Summer Time takes place on Sunday, March 29.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is calling  on people to make an online pledge to test their smoke alarms on the clock change weekend on the “Fire Kills” Facebook page.

Group Manager Paul Murphy, district manager for Wirral, said: “Most people think that a fire will never break out in their homes but you’re at least four times more likely to die in a fire in your home if you do not have a working smoke alarm. 

“A simple push of the ‘test’ button only takes seconds, so make sure it’s added to your Spring to-do list as it could save your life and the lives of family, friends and neighbours – especially older people who need help testing.

“We’ve seen call-outs in Wirral and Merseyside over the last year where smoke alarms have alerted people to fires, allowing them to escape. They can give vital early warning of a fire.”

Between January 1, 2014, and December 18, 2014, there were a total of 950 accidental dwelling fires in Merseyside.

Of these incidents, 362, or 38%, did not have a smoke alarm present.

On Wirral, 37% - 83 out of 222 - of homes that had accidental fires did not have a smoke alarm.

To request free fire safety advice, or to request a Home Fire Safety Check for yourself or someone else, call 0800 731 5958 or go to merseyfire.gov.uk.

You can also find out more about our fire and rescue service on Twitter by following @MerseyFire.