BOAT owners must test their smoke alarm regularly or risk ‘drowning in toxic smoke’, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has warned.

The fire service has a blunt message for boat owners in the lead up to Boat Fire Safety Week – ‘don’t drown in toxic smoke – fit a smoke alarm and test it regularly’.

As part of the national Fire Kills campaign, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are asking local boat owners to make vital safety checks and learn more about fire to stay safe this summer.

During Boat Fire Safety Week, which takes place between May 25-31, firefighters across Cheshire will be talking to thousands of boat owners in the area, handing out leaflets to alert people to the risks of fire and helping them protect themselves and their passengers.

Keith Brooks, head of prevention and protection at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The week long campaign was created in response to tragedies such as the Cheshire incident and highlights the need for fire safety on boats.

“It also helps to focus on the importance of smoke alarms being fitted on all vessels where people sleep.”

Since 2006 Cheshire has attended 17 fires involving boats, many of which took place on the River Weaver. Half of them were on a barge.

In Cheshire in 2007 a woman died as a result of a fire on a boat. No smoke alarms were fitted on the vessel, which may have saved her life, if they had been installed.

Cheshire firefighters are supporting Boat Safety Week for the start of the boating season, and are asking owners to make regular, basic checks, fit a smoke alarm and know their escape route.

Mr Brooks added: “Smoke is a silent killer and smoke alarms detect the first signs of a fire, giving people valuable time to get out of a boat safely.

“I would strongly urge anyone that sleeps on a boat to get a smoke alarm. It may just save your life.”