CHRISTMAS shoppers are being warned about the dangers of a decorative candle.
The alert has come from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council and Cleveland Fire Brigade.
They say that tests carried out on the gold-coated, Christ-mas tree-shaped candle show-ed that, after about ten minutes, the coating starts to burn, floating on a wax pool.
The coating gives off acrid fumes and, if the candle has been placed on an uneven surface, it can produce a burning molten stream.
Jeff Bell, of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: "Many of these candles will never be set on fire, just used for decoration. But, if they are lit, they initially burn steadily, giving no signs of the potential dangers ahead. Users might get a false impression and leave them unattended."
Anyone who has bought a candle is being urged not to light it but to dispose of it safely.
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