SINGLE men who live alone and regularly drink alcohol are more likely to die in a fire.

That's the stark conclusion after figures showed that 18 of the 23 house fire deaths across Greater Manchester between April 2005 and March of this year were males, and most lived alone. At least one in three fatalities also involved the consumption of alcohol.

Now fire bosses have launched a new campaign targeting single men, aged 25 and over, in a drive to save lives by encouraging them not to cook or smoke cigarettes when returning home after a session in the local.

Washroom posters, beer mats and urinal stickers have been placed in more than 70 pubs throughout the county. They show a photo of a full pint of beer on fire and a Fire Hazard' logo across the front.