DEVON and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has been called out to over 24,000 false fire alarms over the past five years, a new investigation has revealed.

Figures obtained by Personal Injury Claims UK revealed that the service has visited 24,147 false fire alarms since April 2019, causing a strain both financially and on the use of resources.

From 2019 to 2020, the service attended 4380 false fire alarms, which was the second-lowest number of visits over the past five years.

Over the past year, the service has experienced a rise in false alarm calls, with the total standing at 5803 in 2023/24.

Some common causes of false fire alarms include faulty or poorly designed equipment, lack of maintenance, fumes from cooking and steam from showers amongst others.

With the number of these callouts increasing year on year, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue have explained the impact that false alarms have on the service.

A statement written on the service’s website said: “More than one in every three incidents we respond to are false, or ‘unwanted’ alarms.

“Unwanted alarms affect you and can be a risk to the lives of others because they divert resources away from real emergencies.”

False fire alarms prove to be costly and disruptive, amounting to around £1 billion a year for the UK, according to a study by BRE Group.

If the trend continues, false alarms could pose an ongoing risk to individuals' safety as well as affect the efficiency of emergency services.