MPs slam recall of Whirlpool products

MPs have criticised the recall of Whirlpool tumble dryers for taking “too long” and called for a “greater show of strength” from product safety officials in holding firms to account.

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee chairwoman Rachel Reeves also said the “secrecy of businesses like Whirlpool” had meant those who had suffered fires in their homes from faulty appliances had not had the justice they deserved.

Speaking following evidence to the committee from Consumer Minister Kelly Tolhurst and Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) chief executive Graham Russell, Ms Reeves said: “I think it’s the feeling of this select committee that it’s taken too long to recall these tumble dryers and, in the meantime, people have been living with tumble dryers that aren’t safe in their homes, and in some cases they have caught fire.

“We would like to see a greater show of strength from the OPSS in holding some of these big businesses to account and ensuring that all of the products in our homes are safe and can be relied on.

“We have concerns as well around the modified machines and would like the OPSS to make it a priority to look at some of the evidence that ourselves and others have compiled on the safety of those machines.”

Her comments followed the committee asking Mr Russell and Ms Tolhurst why the OPPS was “so secretive” around its handling and release of company data and findings.

The Whirlpool recall relates to certain models of Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline dryers built between 2004 and 2015.

Ms Tolhurst replied that some data could be commercially confidential or part of an ongoing legal process but said: “We’re not secretive. The way we are working has not been to hide information, in fact quite the opposite.”

Mr Russell and Ms Tolhurst also faced questioning over their handling of concerns relating to fires and a smell of burning from machines that had already been modified as part of Whirlpool’s response to the fire risk.

Whirlpool revealed that, in recent years, it had logged 54 fires in its tumble dryers and admitted that three of those were models that had already been updated.