National Grid in the UK is running 'Safer Homes' Week after a safety survey revealed that less than one per cent of people know who to call if there is a gas leak in their home.

Safer Homes Week, which began on 17th November aims to raise awareness of accident prevention in the home and has the support of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

To promote the safety message National Grid is running a competition with radio stations up and down the country to win a Home Safety Pack, which includes a carbon monoxide detector, a smoke alarm, and a radio.

The safety survey, commissioned by National Grid, also found that nearly a fifth of people overload their plug sockets and two thirds admitted leaving appliances on, including cookers.

More worryingly, nearly half don’t have their gas boiler serviced by a CORGI registered engineer with 60 per cent unable to spot the signs of a faulty boiler, leaving them exposed to the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Every year more than 4,000 people in the UK die and 2.7 million attend hospital after accidents in the home.  Those over 65 are among the most vulnerable with just under 2,500 of the home accident deaths occurring in this age group.

National Grid’s survey shows with a bit more awareness those risks could be significantly reduced and accidents can easily be prevented.