THERE were more than 130 fires caused by cooking in Cambridgeshire during a 10-month period last year. And in a bid to reduce the numbers fire chiefs are warning residents to take care this Shrove Tuesday. Wendy Coleman, community safety advisor for Cambr

THERE were more than 130 fires caused by cooking in Cambridgeshire during a 10-month period last year.

And in a bid to reduce the numbers fire chiefs are warning residents to take care this Shrove Tuesday.

Wendy Coleman, community safety advisor for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, said: "At this time of year, a common scenario can be families tucking in to their freshly made pancakes, forgetting that they have left their frying pan on the hob, burning away.

"Or they forget to turn the hob off and place tea towels over the hot plate or ring.

"As well as the obvious threat to life that a fire can cause, the damage caused to you kitchen, could cost hundreds of pounds to replace."

So in order to ensure your pancake day is fun but also safe, the fire service has issued these safety guidelines.

1. When you've finished cooking your pancakes take the frying pan off the hob and turn off the heat source.

2. If the oil starts to smokes, it's too hot. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool.

3. If your children are in the kitchen helping you to make pancakes, take extra care and make sure they are supervised at all times.

4. Smoke alarms will give you an early warning if a fire has started. This gives you extra time to get your family out of the house and to dial 999

5. If a fire does occur in your kitchen, then the advice from the fire service is not to try and tackle the fire yourself, but to get out, close the door behind you and dial 999.

6. If you do not have a working smoke alarm, either buy one, or contact the fire service on 01480 444666 and quote code PSO. The fire service will provide and install smoke alarms for free as part of a home fire safety visit.