Fires in Greenwich have been cut in half over the last five years.

According to figures released by the London Fire Brigade, fires in Greenwich have been cut in half from 1,290 in 2010/2011 to 652 last year.

The number of secondary fires in the borough decreased from 472 last year to 272 whereas the number of primary fires increased from 376 to 379.

London Fire Brigade Commissioner Ron Dobson said: "The figures are a credit to firefighters, fire engineers, fire investigators, community safety specialists and many other staff who have made huge progress in educating people about the importance of fire safety.

"Fire stations and fire engines do not stop fires happening; proactive prevention work and a vigilant population does."

Fires have also reduced in Lewisham by 30 per cent over the last five years, from 923 to 647.

Incidents including flooding, animal rescue and road traffic collisions have also fallen in Lewisham as well as the number of false alarms.

Lewisham Borough Commander Keeley Smith said: "We have worked incredibly hard with our partners in the borough to work on reducing the number of fires we attend and will continue to target those most at risk."

Despite the downward trend, fire chiefs are urging people not to take their eye off the ball when it comes to fire safety.

The brigade has urged everyone to make sure they have at least one working smoke alarm on every level of their home and test them regularly.

Statistics for fires across London are also the lowest since records began in 1966, with fewer than 20,000 fires in a 12 month period.