BRIGG SMOKE ALARM REMINDER

It's sound policy to replace your smoke alarm from time to time. We are sure many Brigg households already do this, but feel a reminder will do no harm. You can get them from Brian's DIY and Wilko's.
Meanwhile, North Lincolnshire Council has issued a festive season reminder to private landlords in the district that they could face prosecution for failing to install life-saving smoke alarms.
New regulations mean that private landlords could face a £5,000 fine for failing to ensure a life-saving smoke alarm is fitted.
The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 came into force on1,  October 2015. The regulations require landlords of private rented accommodation to install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their properties.
Data from the Chief Fire Officers’ Association indicates that you are four times more likely to die in a fire in a home with no working smoke alarm. They estimate that the new regulations could result nationally in 231 fewer deaths and 5,860 less injuries.
The regulations only require the fitting of a smoke detector in the hallway/landing of each storey of a property and a carbon monoxide alarm in the same room as a solid fuel appliance.
The council will serve a remedial notice when landlords fail to install an alarm. The notice gives the landlord 28 days to carry out the necessary work. If they still do not fit the alarms, the council will issue a £5,000 fixed penalty charge.
Coun John Briggs, Cabinet Member for Asset, Culture and Housing at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “Under the regulations, it is now an offence for a property to be rented out if it does not have smoke alarms or where there is a solid fuel appliance, a carbon monoxide alarm.
“It is vital that landlords comply. It is their duty under the new regulations. Failure to do so will lead to a hefty fine, but more importantly, it could mean the difference between life and death.”