DEVON and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are encouraging everyone to pop battery-powered tealights into shopping baskets while hunting for the perfect pumpkin as the Halloween approaches.

Switching from traditional candles to battery-powered alternatives is a simple step that can help prevent decorations and costumes from catching fire - keeping everyone safe and reducing the number of callouts the service receive.

Around one in eight house fires begin with naked flames such as candles, matches, or cigarettes, and Halloween remains one of the highest-risk times of year for these kinds of incidents.

Kate Saint, Head of Prevention at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said: ‘If a pumpkin with a battery-powered tealight gets knocked over, or you forget to turn it off overnight, nobody gets hurt and nothing is damaged.

‘They’re a stress-free, safe option that still creates that same spooky glow’.