TRADING standards officers have launched a campaign to prevent people being injured in accidents involving glass in their homes.

Sunderland trading standards department has sent advice to all the firms in the city that supply double glazing and conservatories to remind them of their legal obligation to fit safety glass in certain parts of the home.

By law, safety glass must be fitted in windows near the ground and adjacent to doors.

In Sunderland, trading standards officers have come across a number of cases in recent years where safety glass had not been fitted when it should have been.

Trading standards officer Tom Terrett said: "A child running and smashing into an ordinary glass door or window could be seriously injured by the large glass shards produced.

"Toughened glass, the most common type of safety glass, breaks into tiny fragments which will not cause serious injury.

"We think it is important to remind traders and consumers about what the law says and the potential dangers of not using safety glass where it is legally required.