Clumsiness injures 30,000

It sounds like the morning from hell. You wake up to find the scented candle you used to create a relaxing atmosphere has set fire to the curtains.

Jumping out of bed, you slip on the newly-laid trendy maple wood flooring and crack your head.

As you fumble to get dressed, you get caught in your trouser zip and fall over.

Things do not get any better as you burn your hand getting breakfast out of the microwave and fall off your micro-scooter on the way to work.

It may sound like a work of fiction but more than 12,000 people were hurt in falls on wood floors in 2002, compared with 2,900 in 1998.

Almost 20,000 riders were injured on micro-scooters - up from 2,200 in 1998, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Candles caused 17 deaths in Britain and more than 2,000 house fires. Karen Blanchette, from RoSPA, said: 'People tend to be relaxed at home and walk about in socks or barefoot, which can be dangerous-because of the popularity of wooden floors nowadays.

'The latest trend for having candles is also causing great concern.

'People often just use tea-lights by themselves and don't put them in safe containers.'

Even putting on trousers is hazardous, with 9,400 injuring themselves compared with 5,000 in 1998, while zip-fly accidents fell slightly in 2002 to 700.

Microwave-related mishaps rose from 1,800 to 2,700, the safety watchdog told New Scientist magazine.