DUBLIN FIRE BRIGADE has issued a warning to the public ahead of the expected cold snap.

As Met Éireann forecasts temperatures as low as -4 degrees overnight, the fire brigade has urged people to make sure their chimneys are clean before lighting a fire as they could be dangerous if blocked. 

“With temperatures staying in single figures today and dropping to freezing tonight don’t be tempted to light a stove or fire unless you are confident the chimney is clean. If you haven’t used the fire or chimney this winter season assume it needs a clean,” a fire brigade spokesperson said. 

The AA also warned that when smoke rises up the flue of a chimney, particularly during cold weather, it condenses coating the walls in a highly combustible substance called creosote. 

When this substance builds up inside the shaft, the AA said homeowners run the risk of a “volcano-like fire igniting inside the chimney breast of their house”.