COOKERS, toasters and stand-alone hobs are the domestic appliances most likely to start fires in Berkshire.

New figures from the Home Office show that 194 house fires were started by a household appliance in the area between April 2017 and March this year.

Two in five incidents attended by the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service were started by cookers, with 82 fires causing 14 deaths or casualties over the year.

The most common domestic appliances to cause fires in Berkshire between April 2017 and March 2018 were:

- Cookers, including ovens: 82 fires

- Grills and toasters: 19

- Separate rings and hot plates: 15

- Washing machines: 13

The Fire Brigades Union warned that both manufacturers and householders have a duty to prevent fires caused by everyday appliances.

A spokesman for the union said: "Manufacturers have a duty to ensure the products they sell are safe for the public to use and do not pose a threat to life.

"Make sure that the electrical wiring in our homes is in good order, and ensure that we have working smoke alarms and we have a plan for what to do if they go off."

"We can all play our part in reducing fire risk by registering products with the manufacturers when we buy them, so that we are notified if there is a safety-related recall.

Between April 2017 and March 2018, 37 fires started by domestic appliances caused deaths or injuries.

More than 38 fires were started by faulty appliances or leads in Berkshire over the financial year. Across England, such faults started over 2,400 fires.

The most common reason for fires started by appliances was misuse of the equipment, which caused 107 fires in Berkshire, and over 8,700 nationally.

But the old staple of fire safety talks, chip pans, were still the cause of 13 fires in Berkshire, and nearly 1,600 fires nationally.