A NEW Government campaign to cut deaths and injuries from chip pan fires has been welcomed by Bury North MP David Chaytor.

He has endorsed a £1.5 million advertising campaign which has been launched to coincide with the publication of chip pan fire figures.

These show that in 1997, there were two chip pan fire-related deaths in Greater Manchester.

The statistics also disclose there were 776 chip pan fires in Greater Manchester homes during that period and a further 48 similar blazes in other buildings.

Mr Chaytor said: "Chip pan fires are the single biggest cause of casualties in house fires - which is why the Government is determined to give people the information they need to avoid them.

"It's part of a wider strategy for reducing fire deaths and injuries in the home."

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