DISCO-style strobe lights are set to be used to help deaf people know when their homes are on fire.

Lancashire County Council is working with the county's fire service to get special smoke alarms fitted in around 45,000 homes.

Instead of releasing a piercing sound when the alarm detects smoke, a pad fitted under the deaf person's pillow begins vibrating while disco-style strobe lights flash around, making it impossible for anyone to remain asleep.

It is hoped the new scheme will reduce the risk of dying in a fire because they cannot hear conventional fire alarms.

A trial of the project is currently being carried out in Lancaster, with fire officers hopeful that the scheme could be extended across Lancashire, including the unitary areas of Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool.

So far, there have been 17 fire deaths in Lancashire this year.

A spokesman said the majority of victims were elderly, and had suffered from mobility problems or disabilities such as deafness.

Assistant chief officer John Williamson said: "There are 202,000 hard of hearing people in Lancashire, of which around 45,000 people would need one of these special smoke alarms.

"These are people who could be at risk because they cannot hear conventional smoke alarms.

"These special ones are expensive, but our partnership with the county council should help reduce the cost.

"There is no way someone can sleep through one of the special alarms, because the vibrating pad shakes the pillow while the strobe lights are very bright and cannot possibly be ignored."

Under the scheme, every identified household with a hard of hearing person in the Lancashire area will be visited by fire safety officers who will fit a specialist smoke alarm.

Mr Williamson added: "We are able to purchase the alarms at half the original price paid by Lancashire County Council.

"We will also be able to reduce the cost of installing the alarms. It is beneficial for us to know that people who could be in danger will be safer."

Another scheme being introduced in the county is the installation of smoke detectors inside light bulb sockets.

Mr Williamson said: "This scheme is aimed at people who maybe cannot get to smoke alarms to check to see if they are still working.

"The detector is connected to the socket, the light bulb is then inserted and then the elderly or infirm person can test if the alarm is working just by flicking the light bulb socket."

Smoke detectors fitted at homes of people aged under five or over 65 will also be installed with five year batteries.

Some 68 per cent of fires so far this year have involved people in one of the two categories.

Mr Williamson said: "We do fit fire alarms for people if they ask us to. We have had many cases where there have been fires at houses where people had detectors but had not checked the batteries.

"By fitting five year batteries in the detectors, we think the smoke detectors will be of more help to people."

"People just weren't replacing the batteries and this is one to make sure at least the smoke detectors we fit, work."

The smoke detector is fitted in the house by a member of Lancashire Fire and Rescue.

Once fitted to a ceiling, a wire runs along into the bedroom and connects to the vibrating pad which is on the pillow.

If the smoke detector senses smoke, it sets the pad to vibrate and starts flashing bright strobe lights which are guaranteed to wake anyone up.

Lancashire is the only place in the country piloting the scheme.