Hallowe'en costumes dangers: West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough Councils issue joint safety message
The Public Protection Partnership (PPP), a shared service delivering Environmental Health, Licensing and Trading Standards across Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire and Wokingham Borough Councils, has issued a reminder that while dressing up can be great fun, it should be remembered that Hallowe'en costumes can be more flammable than normal clothing.
Dressing up in garish, ghostly or gory costumes is a key part of Hallowe'en, but the PPP and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) are warning the public to be aware of the dangers.
This is particularly a problem if your celebrations involve candles or an open fire.
The PPP has published the following recommendations from RoSPA to avoid causing a scare for the wrong reasons with your costume:
- Buy all costumes from reputable retailers, and check that any you buy carry a CE mark on the label
- As with all clothing, Halloween and fancy dress outfits should always be kept away from fire, lit candles and all other naked flames
- Use flameless candles where possible. If lit candles are part of your celebrations always follow their safety guidelines, and remember:
- Always supervise children and pets if using lit candles
- Do not allow children to carry, play, reach over, light or be near lit candles
- Never leave a burning candle unattended
- Remember always to extinguish a candle completely after use
- Take care when using candles at Halloween. Do not carry pumpkins with lit candles inside, consider using battery-operated candles instead
- Children should always be supervised by a suitable adult
- Be aware that homemade fancy dress costumes or those not tested to the same flammability standards may ignite easily and burn quicker.
For more information visit the RoSPA website
