HOUSEHOLDERS are being urged to follow simple safety advice when using tumble dryers.

The call from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service follows a fire at a flat in Northwich on Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the blaze in Waterbank Row, which the service said was caused by a tumble dryer.

Fire engines from Northwich and Winsford attended the fire, and the flat was well alight when the crews arrived at the property just after 3pm.

Two hose reels were used to extinguish the blaze, and a thorough check of the property was then carried out using a thermal imaging camera.

The crews were at the scene for about one hour and 45 minutes.

The fire service is reminding people to follow simple safety advice when using tumble dryers.

Remove the lint from the trap after every load of clothes dried.

Do not cover the vent or any other opening.

Ensure the vent pipe is free of kinks and is not crushed in any way.

Only used recommended vent pipes, and not improvised ones.

Only vent the warm air to the outside of a building.

Do not put rags or materials into your tumble dryer if they have been used to soak up flammable liquids.

Signs that your tumble dryer is not properly ventilated include the following.

Clothes take a very long time to dry, especially heavy articles of clothing such as towels or jeans.

Clothes feel hotter than usual at the end of the cycle.

The flapper on the vent hood remains closed when the dryer is on.

The fire service is also urging people to have a working smoke alarm on each floor level of their home, check each week that their smoke alarms are working and discuss and agree with their family what to do if there is a fire - plan an escape route.