Poor cookery skills that led to burnt food were the main reason behind the 63 times that fire crews were called to the halls, according to figures from the Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service (RBFRS).
The statistics show that seven call outs in the 2011/12 academic year were fires. The rest were false alarms.
The call outs cost the fire service £124,110 – which has prompted some to comment a subsidised takeaway service might be cheaper than students cooking for themselves.
In total, the fire crews spent a total of two days, seven hours, 40 minutes responding and attending false alarms at student accommodation.
The previous year saw 41 of 49 calls turning out to be false alarms. Of the rest, four were fires and four were what is known as a “special service” request, such as getting people out of a jammed lift.
Special service call outs are often charged.
For the current academic year to the end of December there have been 33 false alarms and two fires.
Andy Mancey, RBFRS area manager and head of response, said the level of calls to the halls is comparable to similar premises in Reading.
“There is no evidence to suggest that the calls are malicious, the majority of are related to cooking,” he said.
“For many years, RBFRS has worked closely with the university and visits at the start of each year to educate the incoming students regarding fire safety. This is an ongoing programme and we will continue to work with the university to reduce unwanted fire signals even further.”
The Department for Communities and Local Government says the average cost of responding to a fire alarm is £1,970.
