The advice days, organised by City of Wolverhampton Council’s Trading Standards team, will take place on:
- Tuesday, 5 November at Civic Centre, St Peter’s Square, WV1 1SH.
- Wednesday, 6 November at Bob Jones Community Hub, Bromley Street, WV2 3AS.
Both days will run between 9.30am and 4pm.
Residents with an electric blanket will be able to bring it along to be tested by experts from Gems Electrical Testing. It is important that all leads, controls and plugs associated with the electric blankets are brought along for testing.
If the blanket fails and the owner is a Wolverhampton resident, a replacement will be offered for free. Funding for the blankets has been provided by UK charity Electrical Safety First.
General support and advice about energy bills will also be available from charity Act on Energy. Advisors can give general advice and arrange to speak to residents individually about ways to save on bills, how to switch providers and how to access energy debt support.
Other help on offer during the 2 days will include information about ways people can protect themselves from scams, rogue traders and bogus callers which can increase over the colder weather and during the run up to Christmas.
The 2 days next month follow similar sessions held at Ashmore Park Community Centre and Bilston Indoor Market where 24 electric blankets were tested and 21 new blankets provided free of charge to replace those that had failed.
John Roseblade, director of resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “As the weather is turning colder, we welcome residents to these events where they can get their electric blankets tested and speak to others for energy advice.
"The condition of electric blankets can deteriorate over time and become faulty. This can risk injury and fire, so we would encourage people to come along and get their blankets checked for peace of mind.”
People do not have to book an appointment for the electric blanket testing but are asked to please be prepared to wait if the event is busy.
