Half of all new fridges and freezers ‘are big fire risks’
ALMOST half of all fridges and freezers on sale are major fire risks due to their plastic backing, consumer group Which? has warned.
Research by the organisation covered more than 500 of the most popular appliances.
While they all met current safety standards, Which? found 45 per cent of the products were made of plastic that failed its own ‘more stringent’ fire test. It has published a ‘ don’t buy’ list of 251 models ranging from basic models to top brands, some costing up to £2,000.
The investigation also claimed that plastic identified by some manufacturers as ‘flame retardant’ could still speed up the spread of a house fire.
Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive of Which?, said: ‘People will rightly be outraged to learn that manufacturers and retailers are selling potentially unsafe products that could be putting their lives at risk.
‘If manufacturers and retailers fail to act and leave plastic-backed fridges, freezers or fridge-freezers on sale, the Office for Product Safety and Standards must .. take action.’
Brands with products deemed ‘unsafe’ by Which? are AEG, Hotpoint, Hoover, Indesit, Lec, Zanussi. Smeg, Ikea, Bush, Gorenje, Logik, Candy, HiSense, Liebherr, Bosch, Currys Essentials and Kenwood.
But no appliances made by Beko – which stopped using plastic backing a few years ago – Samsung, LG nor Miele are affected.
Three own-brand models by John Lewis were also originally on the ‘don’t-buy’ list but the retailer has removed them from sale. A Which? spokesman said: ‘ All plastic-backed fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers on the market pass existing safety standards but Which? is warning that these safety tests are inadequate, not fit for purpose and do not come close to replicating the source of a real house fire. When conducting more stringent fire tests, Which? found that no plastic backing sample was able to withstand a flame for 30 seconds.’
The safety of fridge freezers was highlighted after a fire in a Hotpoint model was identified as the source of the Grenfell Tower blaze which killed 71 people last June.
Trade association the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances last night accused Which? of causing ‘unnecessary fear and alarm’. It said: ‘All appliances placed on the market are required by law to be safe and tested to the safety standards prevailing at the time.’
Dixons Carphone, which owns Currys Essentials and Logik, Hoover Candy and Smeg said their products complied with current fire standards. Gorenje has already stopped making plastic-backed models. And Bush owner Sainsbury’s will discontinue them this summer. Tougher fire standards are being launched for fridges and freezers in January – but do not include an outright ban on plastic.