Fridges are getting all hot and bothered

OUR fridges are becoming hot and bothered too after a consumer watchdog warned that they could fail in the heatwave.

Having an appliance without good airflow around it could see them fail to work properly in temperatures of around 86F (30C) and higher, experts said.

And that is dangerous for food preservation, not to mention the expense of repairs or replacement.

Consumer champion Which? said it had found more than 50 fridge-freezers which failed to work properly at the official maximum temperature of 89.6F.

But a consumer advice site said problems would really begin at anything above 86F and depend largely on their location and, for integral devices, whether or not a vent had been fitted.

Which? said: “In recent years, we’ve found more than 50 fridge-freezers that the same problem.

“The warmer the temperature in the fridge, the more likely it is heat-loving bacteria will thrive.

“So, if you own one of these, you need to be extra careful with any meat for the barbecue.

“Better yet, you should buy a fridge-freezer that can stick to a safe and steady temperature in these conditions.”

Advice site UK White Goods said that putting a fridge in a garage or a room where it is exposed to direct sunlight could see it stop working.

It added: “If the ambient temperature is really high, say over about 30C, then the compressor on the machine is going to be running at full pelt.”

And a compressor run for too long can overheat and break. suffer from