DARREN Millar AM has joined forces with consumer safety charity, Electrical Safety First to help keep people in Conwy and Denbighshire safe.

Darren has attended a drop in session hosted by Electrical Safety First in the Senedd which marked the beginning of Electrical Safety Week.

He said: “It’s been estimated almost 30,000 Welsh homes are potentially at serious risk of fire due to old or damaged electrics, so I was keen to attend Electrical Safety First’s event to see how I can help keep my constituents, particularly those who are most vulnerable, safe.”

The drop in session offered AMs the opportunity to discuss why Wales has the highest number of fires caused by electricity compared to other countries of the United Kingdom.

In a response to the Welsh Government’s report on this issue, the charity has highlighted how fires in older housing stock in Wales, a significant proportion of which were built before 1919, is linked to deteriorating electrics.

Robert Jervis-Gibbons, policy and public affairs manager at Electrical Safety First, said: “Currently, home safety visits, usually undertaken by Fire and Rescue Services, provide an opportunity for electrical problems to be identified.

“But there needs to be adequate follow up and a system in place to protect the most vulnerable. We are calling for a review on how home safety visits operate to ensure there are properly funded referral processes for people who cannot afford to improve their electrics in their home.

“In the meantime, we are working with AMs to keep everyone in Wales safe from electrical risk across the winter time when electricity in Wales is in greater use.”