THE fire brigade was called out on 6,000 false alarms according to the latest figures released by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The 2006/07 statistics show that 98 per cent of automatic fire signals received by the service were false alarms.

Chief fire officer, Steve McGuirk, said: "All these vehicle movements are a real drain on the resources of the authority and distract us from attending other potential emergency calls including undertaking valuable community safety work.

"Answering calls to automatic alarms also puts the lives of our staff and the public at increased risk as we respond under blue light conditions."

False alarms from fire detection equipment can occur for a number of reasons, such as poorly maintained equipment and pollutants in the air that can set of the smoke detectors.

Businesses are being urged to take simple steps to help reduce the number of false alarms.

Les Spencer, business liaison manager for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is in everyone's interests to cut the number of false alarms from automatic fire alarms - including the businesses themselves which lose money through lost production and lost customers when staff have to evacuate a premises."

Businesses which would like further information and advice or reducing false call outs can contact Les Spencer on 01606 868700.