SHOCKING research has revealed that 43 per cent of people in Berkshire do not know how to identify a fire door, despite heightened media coverage about the dangers of inadequate fire protection following the Grenfell disaster in 2017.

The national survey, carried out by online ironmongery supplier IronmongeryDirect, has been published in support of Fire Door Safety Week (September 23 - 29) – a campaign which aims to highlight the importance of fire doors in saving lives.

The poll also highlighted that a quarter of respondents in the UK are unaware that fire doors must be kept shut at all times.

More than a third (36 per cent) of the public admitted they would prop a fire door open for an extended period of time if needed.

The research emphasises the need for the public to be more aware of the essential role that fire doors play in keeping them safe.

Fire doors are designed to withstand fire for between 30 and 240 minutes and, when used, they can make a remarkable difference in saving lives and reducing spread during a fire.

Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at IronmongeryDirect, said: "A well installed and maintained fire door can really be the difference between life and death for building occupants.

"We strongly urge the public to contact the person in charge of fire safety in their building if they are unsure about the condition or use of the fire doors.

"We also encourage tradespeople to use our fire door checklist to help assess whether fire doors in buildings they occupy, or are responsible for, are legally compliant."

For more guidance, view IronmongeryDirect’s Fire Door Checklist.