SAFETY checks are to be carried out on electri blankets

1pm 07.09.07 - TWO sessions are due to be held to test the safety of peoples' electric blankets.

The sessions, held by North Somerset Council's Trading Standards Service, will be held in Portishead and Weston.

On September 17 a session will be held at Somerset Hall in Portishead and on September 26, at the For All Healthy Living Centre, in Lonsdale Avenue, Weston.

More than 1,000 fires a year in the UK are attributed to faulty or damaged electric blankets, sometimes with fatal consequences.