WITH Bonfire Night just around the corner, East Cheshire NHS Trust is urging Knutsfordians to stay safe around fires and fireworks.

Each year, hundreds of people who have suffered fire and firework-related injuries are treated for burns, blast and eye injuries in hospital emergency departments.

East Cheshire NHS Trust, which runs Macclesfield District General Hospital, is calling for Knutsfordians to observe a few simple safety measures in order to avoid finding themselves among the statistics.

Through working in hospital emergency departments for more than a decade, the trust’s emergency medicine lead, Dr Darren Kilroy, has seen countless patients with sometimes horrific, disfiguring and disabling injuries caused by fires and fireworks.

Dr Kilroy said: “The effects of these injuries can be life-changing: blindness, scarring, loss of hair and loss of a finger or hand.

“I'd urge everyone to think about attending an organised display rather than buying expensive home fireworks. You'll have a better evening's entertainment, for better value, and a safer time too.”

In the event of an accident with fireworks or fires, the trust have issued the following advice; if the patient is alight, extinguish any flames by rolling them on the ground; use cold water to cool the burnt area and reduce pain; do not remove burnt clothing which stuck to the skin; do not use skin creams or oils; and seek urgent medical help if injuries are serious by calling 999.