The deadly appliances in millions of homes

MILLIONS of fire risk appliances are sitting in people’s homes in a ‘white goods timebomb’.

These include tumble dryers, washing machines and fridges – like the one suggested to have sparked the Grenfell tragedy.

If this is the case, it would be just one of more than 4,000 fires attributed to household appliances that occur in the UK every year.

Our fire services deal with an average of more than 13 fires every day – including one a day in London – caused by kitchen appliances.

In 90 per cent of cases, the cause of the fire was a fault in the appliance or its electrical supply.

The alarming figures raise questions as to why manufacturers are selling products that are putting people’s lives at risk. Over 250 recall notices have been issued for electrical products over the last six years, mostly due to a risk of electric shock or fire.

however, fire chiefs say response rates are ‘worryingly low’ with just 10 to 20 per cent of the dangerous appliances being traced and fixed.

Many firms face allegations they are failing to ensure products are recalled when a problem is identified, leaving millions of dangerous appliances sitting in homes across the country.

In April, an inquest in Manchester heard that a fire caused by a faulty Beko fridge-freezer, which was the subject to a safety recall, led to the death of 63year-old John Wilson.

And a 2014 inquest found that father Santosh Benjamin Muthiah died after rescuing two children from a fire caused by a Beko fridge-freezer in north London. It had been subject to a recall following fires as far back as 2003.

Warning of a ‘ white goods timebomb’, the London Fire Brigade has described fridge-freezers as the most dangerous appliances.

This is because they run continuously and are not designed to be isolated at night or when left unattended. Changes to their design in recent years have increased the risk. Flammable plastic has replaced metal and the insulation used burns more easily.

The Government is also in the dock over the issue, for ministers have failed to implement recommendations of an official review of the broken product safety recall system published in February last year.

These included setting up a new body to co- ordinate safety recalls and the need for an official website that lists all recalls in one place.

Yesterday consumer champion Lynn Faulds Woods, the author of the report, said the failure of ministers to implement the recommendations was ‘shocking’. The former BBC Watchdog presenter added: ‘Companies should not be selling products that can kill.’