WASH, BANG, WALLOP
Family shocked as washing machine destroys kitchen
A SCOTS entrepreneur has spoken of her horror after her washing machine blew up mid-cycle.
Laura Birrell was relaxing in her sitting room at her Glasgow home when she heard the explosion.
The drum of her 10-year-old Indesit burst out of the top of her machine to her sink, blowing everything apart including her taps.
Laura, who says she is still in shock from the explosion, said: “It was really scary.
“I thought something had crashed through the window.
“I had only just left the kitchen and gone into the sitting room and sat down when I heard the explosion.
“When I went in back in, it stank of smoke and the metal drum had ripped apart and burst through the top of the sink.
“The entire sink draining unit has disappeared. It was tempered glass, so that was everywhere.”
Laura, who met actress Sarah Jessica Parker while in Las Vegas on business, added she feels “lucky” to have been at home when it malfunctioned after admitting to years of leaving the appliance on when she went out.
She said: “Fortunately I was in as smoke started to appear so I quickly switched the machine off. It was not the best Sunday. But I will never leave a washing on again when I am out.”
After Laura, founder of Sticky Heelz heel pads, which stop your shoes slipping off on nights out, posted the picture on Facebook, she got messages from others who suffered similar ordeals. She said: “It’s obviously something people should be aware of.” A spokesperson for Whirlpool, which represents Indesit, said: “Our thoughts are with the residents affected by this incident and we are investigating the situation. We have spoken to the customer and one of our engineers will visit the property this Wednesday, as we seek to understand what happened as a matter of urgency.”