BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A ban on the sale of non-child resistant and novelty cigarette lighters in the European Union enters into force on Tuesday, aimed at preventing thousands of fire-related injuries across the bloc each year.

According to EU figures, around 40 deaths per year are caused by unsafe lighters -- mainly produced in China -- with just under 2,000 fire-related injuries caused by the misuse of lighters by children.

After a year to "sell-off" their stocks of non-child resistant lighters, shop owners will face prosecution if they are caught selling "unsafe" or novelty lighters such as those which resemble "toys, mobile phones, food, cars, etc," the European Commission said in a statement.

Only lighters which have a special safety mechanism preventing "children under the age of four from operating them" will be allowed to be sold across the 27-member bloc, the Commission added in its statement.

"I urge the national enforcement authorities to take their responsibility and vigorously enforce these requirements," European Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said in the statement.

The introduction of "child safe" lighters in the United States has resulted in a 60 percent reduction in the number of fire-related accidents, the EU executive said.

(Reporting by Darren Ennis, editing by Jon Boyle)