A FIRE chief is urging people to have a fire alarm on every level of their home after firefighters attended hundreds of house fires in which alarms weren't installed.

Between March 2015 and April 2016, Essex firefighters were called to 991 house fires.

Of these, only 410 homes had working smoke alarms and 245 homes did not have a smoke alarm installed at all.

Divisional Officer Neil Fenwick, head of community safety at the Essex fire service, said one fire alarm in a house wasn't enough.

He said: “Every home should have at least one working smoke alarm on each floor of their home.

“Smoke coming from the ground floor will take longer to reach a smoke alarm on another floor, and vice versa.

"Ensure you and your family have enough smoke alarms in your home – one is simple not enough.

“Last year, we attended 336 house fires where the smoke alarm did not activate.

"The most common reasons for this is either bad positioning, they were not maintained properly and the battery was not working or had been removed. "Smoke alarms are life savers, but only if they are working.”

The service is urging people to test the smoke alarm regularly, change the battery once a year and to clean it twice a year to ensure dust isn't blocking the sensor.

To get your free smoke alarm and home safety visit call the fire service on 0300 303 0088 or book online via www.essex-fire.gov.uk.