Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service will be visiting boaters along the Kennet & Avon Canal as part of boat safety week next week.

Boat safety advisor Rob Buckland will be travelling along the Wiltshire stretch of the canal between May 31 and June 5 to offer free safety advice and free smoke detectors to people who live, work or are holidaying on the water.

He will also be giving advice on the dangers to boat users from carbon monoxide.

Although boat fires on inland waters are less common than fires on land, when they do occur, they can have devastating consequences.

Boats are often in remote locations with difficult access, which may result in firefighters taking longer to arrive at an incident and allowing a fire to totally destroy a boat and everything on-board.

Mr Buckland said: "As well as taking into account fire safety on the boat, we urge boaters to ensure that they know their location at all times so that, in the event of any emergency, we can get there as soon as possible."

Advice on general boat fire safety includes:

* Fitting a suitable smoke detector;

* Making a fire action plan;

* Taking extreme care when refuelling with petrol or changing gas cylinders;

* Avoiding using portable gas equipment on-board, where possible, and storing all gas canisters in special gas lockers or open places where any leaks will flow overboard;

* Checking items such as battery terminals and fuse box connections routinely for damaged strands or signs of overheating;

* Taking care when doing repairs, and keeping interiors well ventilated when using adhesives, paints and spirit-based products;

* Always keeping your eye on a solid fuel stove when it’s lit and trying to avoid leaving the boat with the stove running.

Incidents on the UK’s waterways are unfortunately quite common – examples include:

* Tidying up duvets causes boat fire: A duvet was stuffed into a wardrobe, and so door didn’t close properly. A light in the wardrobe stayed on and could not be seen due to the duvet stuffed up against it. The light overheated, setting fire to the duvet. The owners didn't notice the smoke initially as they didn’t have a smoke alarm, but when they did smell smoke, it took a while to find where the smell was coming from. Eventually the skipper opened the wardrobe to find the duvet alight.

* DIY explosions: The owner of a catamaran moored in a harbour was renewing the headlining of the vessel and used a strong glue to stick it in place. Enough glue was used whereby there was sufficient vapour given off to form a flammable mix, which exploded once it came into contact with a source of ignition - in this case, the pilot light of the fridge.

In a separate incident, a man was varnishing wood on his vessel during one of the colder months of the year. As the varnish was not drying quickly enough, he plugged in an electric heater to try to warm up the cabin space to get the varnish to 'go off' more quickly. He left the boat with the heater running to have lunch out of sight of the boat, and was told by a passer-by that there was a boat on fire at the marina.

* Boy injured in boating accident: A nine year old boy suffered serious leg injuries on Easter Monday when he fell overboard from a hired narrowboat. It is understood he received his injuries when his parents reversed the vessel to attempt to rescue him and his leg became entangled in the propeller.

To arrange a boat safety visit, call Rob Buckland on 07734 483880 or email rob.buckland@wiltsfire.gov.uk.

People can also just stop and chat to him as he makes his way along the towpath.