A SURVEY has found that three in ten people continue to use electrical appliances even after they know they have been recalled.

Residents are being urged to register their electricals online after figures released by Electrical Safety First showed that 13 fires a day were caused by faulty devices.

In the North-East last year, more than 200 fires were caused by electric items with 99 of them occurring across Cleveland, Durham and North Yorkshire.

Craig Farrage, community safety manager for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We would always advise safe and sensible use of all appliances. We recommend everyone to register their appliances to stay up to date with safety issues and recalls.”

Registering an appliance means that a manufacturer can easily contact the public if a product is found to be dangerous or faulty in some way.

However, 50 per cent of residents in the North-East admitted to not registering their devices.

Mr Farrage added: “Electricity is a major cause of fire in the home accountable for 216 operational incidents in the last 12 months alone.

“Never overload sockets, always unplug appliances when not in use, never use appliances which have damaged leads or plugs and ensure electrical heaters are kept in a safe place when in use.”

More information about registering an appliance can be found at registermyappliance.org.uk