As England take on Wales this afternoon as part of Euro 2016, a fire chief is asking fans to “play away from home and eat out”, after the match.

Millions of football fans will tune in at 2pm to watch was is being dubbed the ‘battle of Britain’ and the London Fire Brigade are worried that the early kick off will entice people to drink more during the day and risk them falling asleep while cooking later.

They are encouraging residents who are feeling hungry to eat out rather than risk burning their house down.

London Fire Brigade Commissioner, Ron Dobson, said: “During Euro 2016, many Londoners will go straight from work to the pub and watch the football. “Our research shows cooking after having one too many plays a massive part in house fires and sadly, one in every four fire deaths involves alcohol.

“If people cook tonight under the influence of alcohol they could be putting themselves and the people they love in danger – Play away from home and eat out.”

Pub takings were up 26 per cent in the first week for the tournament, according to data published by Epos now, and are set to increase today for England’s match.

The London fire brigade said that two fires every day happen after residents drink and three quarters of these are caused by cooking under the influence.

The Commissioner also warned about the danger of water and added: “Sadly people drown each year and we’d hate for someone else to become another statistic for the sake of having a laugh or showing off to their mates.”