FIRE chiefs have reinforced a warning for people to take extra care when cooking.

Farnworth fire crews have revealed that last month kitchen fires made up almost half of the calls they answered at the start of the year.

Crew manager Andy Stephenson, of Farnworth fire station, said: "These are easily avoidable fires - a lot of people simply get distracted by the TV.

"We can't stress how important it is that people give cooking their full attention and do not leave food unattended."