MORE than 2,000 households a month - mainly in deprived areas of West Yorkshire - will be offered free smoke alarms and fire safety in a new drive.

Details of the four-year, £1.4m. fire prevention package for the county were announced by the Government's fire safety minister, Phil Hope.

Local fire and rescue authorities already carry out some free home fire safety checks.

The announcement - part of a national package of £25m for fire prevention announced in October - will support a large expansion of this work over the next four years and enable the authorities to offer more free alarms.

Priority will go to vulnerable people - mainly the elderly, young families and black and ethnic minority groups - who, figures show, are more at risk of house fires.

The new scheme is expected to drive down fires, deaths and injuries in people's homes.

In West Yorkshire it is estimated that smoke alarms have saved 100 lives over the last 10 years.

The regional grants were assessed on the level of risk in individual fire and rescue authority areas.

Mr Hope said the money reaffirmed the Government's commitment to placing a greater emphasis within the fire and rescue service on lifesaving fire prevention.

He added: "Fire and rescue services around the country know well where the fire risks are in the communities they serve. Only too often they have to pick up the pieces from entirely preventable domestic fires.

"When facing up to risks and dangers, most people want personal contact and practical help from someone they trust.

"This money will offer just that, especially to deprived areas and communities."

West Yorkshire Chief Fire Officer Phil Toase, who is also director of safety and standards for the Chief Fire Officers' Association, said that good, professional advice, coupled with the installation of smoke alarms, had proved to be effective in reducing deaths and injuries from fire.

He added: "This type of pro-active fire safety work has already saved many lives throughout West Yorkshire.

"With the extra resources being provided by the Government we will be able to achieve even more success in eliminating fire deaths and injuries.

"By targeting help towards the elderly and the vulnerable we can make a real difference and prevent a great deal of misery and suffering," said Mr Toase.

Most recipients are expected to be owner-occupiers or people renting in the private sector, since tenants of councils and housing associations usually have fire safety measures in place.

* Latest fire figures - for 2003 - show that in England 301 people died in accidental fires in the home. More than three-quarters of these deaths were in properties without smoke alarms or with alarms that did not work.

* The likelihood of dying in an accidental domestic fire is more than five times higher for the 80 years and over age group than for people aged 30 to 59.

* Children in the lowest social class have a death rate 16 times higher than children in the highest social class.

* People in the poorest 10% of electoral wards are five times more likely to be injured by fire than those in the richest 10%.

* Asian families are three times less likely to own a working smoke alarm than white families.