CHESHIRE Fire and Rescue Service has issued advice for partygoers ahead of Halloween on Monday.

The service has announced its latest batch of tips and warnings to help keep people safe from fires during the spooky festivities.

One of the tips shared by the Fire and Rescue Service is to ensure that all Halloween costumes are kept at a safe distance away from an open flame.

Though this may seem like common sense, many Halloween costumes are made of materials that will easily catch light - meaning that a small contact with a flame could result in a costume setting alight.

The service heavily recommends the use of false LED candles, as these are far safer than using an open flame.

Some of the safety tips shared by the service include:

  • Extinguish candles before you leave a room and never go to sleep with a candle still burning.
  • Use a snuffer or a spoon to put them out. Blowing them can send sparks and hot wax flying.
  • Don't put them under shelves - make sure there's at least one metre (three feet) between a candle and any surface above it.
  • Scented candles turn to liquid in order to release their fragrance, so always burn them in a suitable glass or metal container that can withstand the heat of the liquid.

People are being warned about using candles in jars, as the heat can cause the jar to crack and shatter unexpectedly.

Cheshire Fire says: "This is due to less heat energy being absorbed by the remaining wax resulting in the glass heating up excessively to the point when it may crack or shatter with force.

"Users are advised to continually supervise all candles and extinguish the candle when the level of wax reduces close to the base of a jar, say to one or 1.5cm."