Safety alert in homes

People with sight loss are at danger in their own homes and more needs to be done to protect them, a new study suggests.

The Thomas Pocklington Trust said a lack of simple visual checks by those supporting people with visual impairments had left their homes with major safety issues.

A pilot study offering one-to-one home safety advice based on simple visual checks and conducted jointly with Birmingham City Council showed four in 10 houses to have major safety issues.

These issues included a faulty gas fire, inadequate smoke alarms, dangerously leaky taps and garden hazards.

The charity said the study found that people, often elderly, didn't know where to turn for advice on home safety. They often didn't rely on family members as they thought it unfair to expect them to understand safety issues. The study also found it difficult to conduct checks as those in need were suspicious of the checks and felt any problems discovered might be costly to repair.