Official figures from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service show a clear correlation between the use of smoke alarms and the likelihood of a fire needing attention from fire fighters.

The fire service found that almost half of the homes it was called to in the Bracknell region last year, did not have smoke alarms fitted. Similar results were seen in the Wokingham region and these figures are likely to be repeated throughout the UK.

The fire service’s group manager, Paul Jacques, said the figures were simple: "There is no doubt that smoke alarms save lives. If your home doesn’t have at least one working smoke detector, you are more than twice as likely to die in a fire."

Anyone renting out a property should have fitted smoke alarms in their let properties and should have taken out landlord insurance to cover repairs to any damage caused by fire. Tenants may unwillingly cause fires by leaving candles or chip pans unattended and may take less care than if they owned the property.

According to figures, people underestimate the effects of toxic smoke and presume they have more time to escape from a house fire than they would in reality.