On the 9th day of Christmas

Make sure cigarettes are completely extinguished before going to bed

Follow these safety tips to avoid causing a fire:

• never smoke in bed - it's very easy to fall asleep and allow your cigarette to set light to your bedclothes or furnishings

• don’t smoke if you’re drowsy - especially if you're sitting in a comfortable chair or if you've been drinking or taking prescription drugs; again, it’s easy to fall asleep

• don’t leave a lit cigarette (or cigar or pipe) – they can easily overbalance and land on the carpet or other flammable material; and make sure your ashtray is heavy and can’t tip easily

• make totally sure that your butts aren’t still smouldering when you’ve finished with them; wet them and empty your ashtray into a metal bin outside the house

• keep lighters, matches and smoking materials out of the reach of children – you can also buy child-resistant lighters and containers for matches