A still-on and tightly wound electrical extension cable caused a fire that saw more than 20 firefighters called to a Stratton industrial unit.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has urged people to make sure they unwind extension cable.

Two crews from Stratton and two crews from Swindon fire stations were called to a blaze on Radway Road, Stratton, in the early hours of April 15. The aerial appliance from Swindon fire station was also called out.

The fire started in an extension cable reel, which had been left on with its cable still wound around the drum.

Station Manager Darren Nixon said: “When power flows through an electrical cable, some heat is always generated in the cable, but this heat generally dissipates into the air. If the reel is left coiled during use, the heat generated in the cable may not dissipate and can start to build up.

"This in turn can melt the outer insulation of the cable and the insulation on the cores.

“When this happens, as well as the risk of fire, the earth cores and neutral cores become electrically live, and this creates a very serious risk of electrocution for anyone using an appliance fed through the reel.

"Our advice is to always unwind cables fully, even if you only need to cover a short distance, and to switch off the power supply whenever it is not needed.”