STUDENTS are being urged to take care whilst cooking by the region's firefighters.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to 62 cooking related fires at student accommodation since June 2013.

To help prevent any further incidence students are advised to

- Never cook after drinking.

- Get a takeaway if hungry after a night out.

- Never leave cooking unattended and always stand by pans.

- Keep ovens, hobs and grills clean, as fat and grease can easily catch fire.

- Do not put metal objects, such as tin cans, in microwaves.

- Keep toasters clean and away from curtains and kitchen rolls.

Paul Etches, GMFRS Head of Prevention, said: “Moving to a new place to start or return to university is an exciting time, but unfortunately accidents do happen which can at best ruin this excitement or at worse become a life or death situation.

“We go to roughly 10 cooking related fires a year at student accommodation and while this number may seem relatively low, any fire is extremely dangerous and needs to be avoided at all costs.

“Keep your appliances clean, always take care when cooking and if you’ve had a drink it’s simply much safer to just get a takeaway.”

The fire service has also issued advice for what to do if your kitchen does catch fire:

- Do not panic or take risks.

- If safe to do so, turn off the heat, but do not lean over a pan.

- Never use water or a water extinguisher on a hot fat fire.

- Leave the kitchen, close the door, tell everyone in the property to get out and do not go back in.

- Call 999.

Mr Etches said: “A working smoke alarm can make all the difference if the worst does happen. Make sure your landlord has fitted them in your house or flat and checked that they work. We don’t want to stop anyone’s fun, we just want you to be safe.”

For more information on fire safety visit www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/keeping-you-safe/fire_safety_advice/ or follow GMFRS on social media