New cigarette safety Regulations

From FIA

New cigarette safety regulations are set to be implemented which could significantly reduce the number of house fires in the UK. The European Union regulations will require every cigarette sold across the continent to meet a reduced ignition propensity (RIP) requirement which will mean that the cigarette will go out if it is not actively smoked.

Councillor Susan Hall, chairperson of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority's community safety committee, labelled the move as a "watershed" moment in cigarette fire safety."Cigarette fires are a killer, destroying lives and properties across the country every day," she said."These new safety standards amount to an all-out attack on the single biggest cause of fire deaths in the country.

But people still need to take care. Never smoke in bed and always dispose of cigarettes carefully."Figures from the Department for Communities and Local Government revealed that around 2,800 fires in the UK were caused by smoking materials in 2008, leaving 101 people dead and 932 injured.The new cigarettes are forecast to prevent 1,800 fires, 67 fire deaths and 600 casualties a year in the UK.