End hell kitchens
Demand for ministers to act & halt toll of fires caused by faulty goods
AN urgent overhaul of the UK’s safety regime is needed as dangerous products continue to cause thousands of potentially deadly fires in homes, according to a consumer watchdog.
Last month, the Government launched a new Office for Product Safety and Standards, but it has yet to reveal any plans, despite around a million faulty Whirlpool-made tumble dryers remaining across the country.
Which? said the response to remove faulty white goods is falling short – with malfunctioning kitchen appliances causing nearly 16,000 fires across the UK since April, 2012.
The consumer group has given ministers 90 days to publish an action plan to set out the “true scale” of product safety risks in the UK as well as the “immediate steps” it will take to prevent further fires.
Faulty goods cause more than 60 fires a week. Washing machines and tumble dryers are the most high-risk, causing 35% of fires between April, 2014 and March, 2016.
Peter Vicary-Smith, of Which? said: “It’s shocking there are more than 60 house fires every week because of faulty appliances.”