CHIP pans may soon only be seen in museums as shops are asked to take them off their shelves.

One shop has already withdrawn them from sale on Teesside, after Cleveland Fire Brigade's concerns about their safety.

Pressure is now mounting on others to follow the example.

Both Durham and North Yorkshire fire brigades are to monitor the campaign.

East Durham at one time recorded more chip pan fires than the rest of the nation, with eight out of ten households admitting to have had a chip pan fire.

Durham Fire Brigade team manager Dave Turnbull said: "We always encourage people to discard chip pans and we would support the Cleveland plan."

Collectables has become the first store on Teesside to stop selling chip pans, after an approach by brigade fire safety officers who advised managers of the dangers of chip pans and the devastation they can cause if they catch alight.

Mark Whelan, Cleveland Fire Brigade's director of operations and community safety, said: "One of our main messages we give to people is the dangers of chip pans.

"Chip pans left unattended cause more fires in the home than anything else.

"During our home fire safety checks, if we come across a home with a chip pan, we advise people to get rid of them. Deep fat fryers are a much safer option."

He added: "With the January sales due to start in the New Year, a lot of these chip pans may be in the sale, encouraging people to buy them.

"We are asking retailers to be socially responsible and help us prevent chip pan fires by removing them from their shelves."

And he revealed: "The brigade is currently contacting local retailers to ask them to remove them from their shelves."

Miranda Coulson, Collectables manager, said: "Once they had drawn our attention to it, we felt that the chip pans should be removed from our shelves and, as a result of this, we plan to work more closely with the brigade in the future.

"I hope other retailers take responsibility and also remove them from their shop floors."