A narrow escape for Marilyn of St John's Wood who was enjoying a peaceful Friday night post- dinner last week. "My husband was in the armchair and I was reading the paper," she recalled, "when suddenly there was a bullet sound."

She looked up to find that one of the small glass holders for her Shabbat candles had shattered from the heat - sending a shard flying across the room. "It could have been dangerous," she said.

She has now invested in a new pair with a protective rubber base. You have been warned.