Derry Girls star fronts fire safety campaign

The actress who plays Sister Michael in hit Channel 4 comedy ‘Derry Girls’ has appeared in a new video warning of the dangers of a product which 3 in 5 of us have in our homes.

Siobhan McSweeney, who also recently appeared in a Great British Bake Off special, was the victim of an electrical fire in November which totally gutted her London flat. The blaze destroyed the Irish actress’s possessions and left her without a home for the subsequent three months. Luckily, no one was hurt.

At fault for the fire was a cube-shaped block adaptor, which the fire service concluded had fallen slightly out of its socket and created a spark which set fire to her bed. These adaptors are warned against by consumer protection Charity Electrical Safety First, as they put undue strain on the wall socket and often don’t come with a fuse. Siobhan has now teamed up with the Charity to produce a moving video telling her story, and urging viewers not to use them.

New research conducted by the Charity reveals that a worrying 3 in 5 Brits have a block adaptor in their home. That figure rises to 72 per cent for those aged over 55. Furthermore, 44 per cent of us aren’t aware that multiway ‘bar’ adapters are the safer option – and almost 1 in 7 mistakenly believe that block adaptors are preferable.

Electrical Safety First recommends using bar adapters as an alternative if needed, as they put less strain on the wall socket. These must also be used with care and not overloaded. The Charity has a socket calculator on its website which can be used to make sure you’re not overloading.

To view Siobhan’s video, click here.