Grieving mother's chip pan plea

Andrew Roberts would have celebrated his 40th birthday this week

A Denbighshire mother whose son was killed by a chip pan fire has warned people of the dangers of cooking after drinking alcohol.

Andrew Roberts, from Ruthin, was 39 when he was overcome by smoke after falling asleep with his chip pan on.

His mother Marje is helping North Wales Fire and Rescue Service try to persuade people not to cook after a night out.

She said her son would have wanted her to spread the message: "Don't go out drinking and then cooking."

Mr Roberts had been out drinking and lit his chip pan when he returned to his two-storey home last August.

He fell asleep and failed to wake up despite two fire alarms going off. He was overcome by smoke and died in hospital later.

Firefighters demonstrated how quickly a chip pan can ignite

His mother joined firefighters on Tuesday to help the campaign to discourage people from cooking when drunk.

She said:" What I want to say to lads like Andrew who cook when they come in is: 'If you want to wake up, don't cook.'

"Either buy something to eat before you go home or have a sandwich. It isn't worth the risk.

"I urge people to throw away their chip pans."

She added: "Andrew should still be here. If one person listens to this message then something good will have come out of what has happened.

"I miss him. We all miss him."

The campaign was held at the Tesco store in Ruthin, where several members of staff were to have gone on holiday with Mr Roberts to celebrate his 40th birthday this week.

Mrs Roberts urged people to throw away their chip pans

As part of Tuesday's demonstration, firefighters showed how quickly a chip pan can ignite, and how it can flare up if doused with water.

Alyn Edwards, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service's County Safety Manager in Denbighshire, said: "Drinking and cooking are not a good mix and can have disastrous consequences.

"Countless fires are caused each year by people returning home from the pub and deciding to make chips or cook some other snack for themselves before going to bed.

"Prepare a snack before you go out or pick up a takeaway on the way home instead.

"We have learnt from experience that, under the influence of alcohol, people are less safety conscious.

"A neglected chip pan takes just three to five minutes to ignite, if a full flame is on. The fire can quickly spread from the kitchen to the rest of the property."