CHIP fans are being warned of the dangers lurking in every kitchen.

National Chip Week got underway yesterday and the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is working with the Fire Kills campaign to highlight potential dangers.

Last year, more than half of all accidental fires in the home in England were linked to cooking.

Many of these were caused by deep fat frying, and more than 3,000 people are injured in these kinds of fires each year.

Neil Chamberlain, Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's home safety manager, said anyone fishing out the chip pan this week should refresh themselves with the dangers.

“When you’re deep frying, you’re heating a large volume of oil to extremely high temperatures,” he said.

“The oil can cause terrible burns, and it can go up in flames.

"In fact, it’s an ideal fuel for a fire and, as such, it’s difficult to put out.

“The safest way to deep fry is to use a thermostat-controlled deep fat fryer rather than a chip pan, as the thermostat stops it from overheating – or, even better, opt for oven chips.”

  • We've included Hampshire Fire Service's award-winning video which dramatically shows why water should NEVER be used if a chip pan catches light.