FIREFIGHTERS hope to get their safety message over to shoppers through a city centre shop window.

The Milburngate Shopping Centre in Durham has given the county brigade community fire safety department use of an empty shop.

It will use the former Fosters store window to display information on things such as fighting chip pan fires, smoke alarms and household fire prevention.

The department hopes that having such a prominent location will help get its message over to the public and prevent serious injury and death.

Brigade spokesman Station Officer David Turnbull said: "We have never done anything like this before, as far as I am aware.

"We'll be putting up fire safety displays on pin boards and putting in mannequins wearing firefighting kit.

"We'll be rotating the displays and we might man the store on Saturdays.

"We are trying to target as many people as possible with community fire safety information. We hope to get the fire statistics down and reduce deaths and serious injuries.

"The advantage of a place like this is that so many people go past it. Hopefully it will stick in people's brains."

Mr Turnbull said the offer of the vacant store was made by the centre management as a thank-you for work the brigade had done at the centre over the years, and the brigade had been offered the use of other empty stores if a tenant was found for that unit.

"We are absolutely delighted with the offer," he said.