CHESHIRE Fire and Rescue Service will highlight the dangers of burns and scalds during a special awareness campaign.

As part of Cheshire Burn Awareness Week, taking place from Monday to Friday (October 14-18) firefighters will work alongside other organisations to urge people to take care around hot drinks, cookers or naked flames and candles and they will be going out and about giving vital first aid advice to people at children's nurseries, schools and older people's homes.

Assistant chief fire officer Gus O'Rourke said: "We know that children under five and elderly people are more at risk from suffering a burn or scald.

"Hot drinks are the most common cause of scald injury in children - followed by contact with electric cookers, hair straighteners, irons and central heating radiators.

"We will be supporting the National Burn Awareness Day and the SafeTea Campaign to help prevent burns and scalds from such things as hot drinks and we will also be promoting how to immediately treat a burn or scald.

"This advice could make an enormous difference to a sufferer’s recovery time and the severity of any scarring."

Using music and drama to help get valuable burns, scalds and first aid advice across to people of all ages, the service is also working with Manchester Camerata to produce STOP, DROP AND ROLL - ‘Safety in the Seasons’, a music and drama project that will bring together four primary schools from across Cheshire.

The production will tackle fire safety issues, by creating a new piece of musical theatre when it is performed at Parr Hall in Warrington on Tuesday (October 15), and tickets are free by emailing: juliette.o'neill@cheshire.pnn.police.uk

Staff will be promoting the SafeTea Campaign as part of the week, a national push to raise awareness of how easily a child can be severely scalded with hot drinks.

The launch of the SafeTea campaign takes place on October 16, which is National Burn Awareness Day.

According to the International Burn Injury Database a significant number of adult injuries resulted from hot fat, barbecues, garden fires and bonfires.

It adds that hot drinks are the most common cause of scald injury in children - followed by contact with electric cookers, hair straighteners, irons and central heating radiators.

More than 11 toddlers experience severe burns and scalds in the UK every day

The majority of injuries, especially to children and the elderly occur between 3pm and 6pm.

The most common place of injury is the home for children (77 per cent) and the elderly (81 per cent). For adults it's the workplace.

For more on Cheshire Burn Awareness Week, go to www.cheshirefire.gov.uk.