Mark Hazelton, community safety group manager for London Fire Brigade, said: "Chip pans and deep fat fryers can be really dangerous as the oil can easily catch fire, so you should never leave them unattended - not even for a few minutes, or you could be risking your home, your property or even your life.
"All it can take is for you to become distracted and your cooking oil can go up in flames, with devastating consequences."
Mr Hazelton encouraged people to switch to electric fryers or oven chips, adding: "if you still use a chip pan or deep fat fryer you should make sure it’s never more than a third full with oil and that you don’t take your eyes off it."
