The shocking finds were made by representatives from North Yorkshire County Council’s Trading Standards and Regulatory Services.

Tests on electric blankets, at special events across North Yorkshire, organised in conjunction with the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, revealed that nearly two thirds were faulty and potentially lethal.

The Scarborough event at Sandybed Court Community Centre was well attended by local people, mainly elderly, who brought blankets in for trading standards officers to test.

Several of the blankets were scorched and had no overheating cut-off system but the majority of faults were found in the plugs and leads used to connect the blankets to the mains supply.

Blankets which were condemned by the experts were replaced with new ones on the spot by the fire service.

County councillor Pat Marsburg, who helped to organise the event, said: “It’s better to be safe than sorry and I’m so pleased that Trading Standards and the Fire Service got together to do something so positive.”

Safety campaigners estimate that faulty electric blankets are responsible for up to 1,000 fires in the UK each year, with deaths and injuries being caused as a result.

County councillor Clare Wood, executive member for Trading Standards and Regulatory Services, said: “With fuel prices escalating rapidly, many older adults will use electric blankets as a means of keeping warm this winter, rather than trying to heat the whole house. Whilst blankets do provide a low cost means of keeping warm in bed, it’s important that they do so safely.”