The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has expressed grave fire safety concerns over a new craze to light alcohol above a tea light and inhale the vapour.

The so-called Vaportini comes with a glass sphere which sits above a lit tea light in a pint glass.

It has been described as having ‘almost no calories, no carbs, no impurities and the effects of consuming alcohol’ but no safety warnings are apparent on the Vaportini website.

LFB believes heating alcohol in this way could increase the risk of someone having a serious fire which could destroy their home or, even worse, kill them.

Firefighters are reminding people that drinking and naked flames do not mix and that one in four people who die in a fire has alcohol in their system.

Vaportini is expected to be the summer craze among 18 to 35 year-olds, with the product set to be available in up-market bars and festivals across the country.

LFB said young, well-educated, professionals cause more than a quarter of all accidental house fires in the capital, with being under the influence being a contributing factor.

The figures from the brigade show young professionals had 1,515 house fires last year and the brigade is concerned this figure could rise if the Vaportini craze takes off.

LFB group manager Mark Hazelton said: “Any product which encourages people to light candles when consuming alcohol is a concern to us.

“We don’t want to sound like killjoys, but products like the Vaportini could lead to a worrying rise in the number of people being burned and causing fires while drunk.”

Fire chiefs are also concerned people might not realise that inhaling alcohol increases the blood alcohol content in the same way that drinking it does.