Faulty Whirlpool dryer blamed for deaths

ELECTRICALS giant Whirlpool is facing fresh pressure to recall millions of tumble dryers, after an inquest found a faulty machine was responsible for a fire which killed two men.

Bernard Hender, 19, and Doug Mctavish, 39, lost their lives in a fire in Llanrwst, Conwy, Wales, in October 2014. It is thought to be the first time a faulty Whirlpool appliance has been blamed for a death in courts, and the case is expected to ramp up pressure on the firm to recall around two million faulty machines still in people’s homes.

Whirlpool, which owns Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda, is in the process of replacing or repairing an estimated four million potentially faulty machines across the UK – after identifying the safety issue in 2015.

The most up-to-date figures suggest 1.6million machines have been fixed, meaning more than two million customers are still using faulty models.

Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services at Which?, said: “In the face of the tragic deaths of these two men, Whirlpool can no longer continue to ignore its responsibility for the safety of its customers and must now conduct a full product recall of the potentially lethal tumble dryers in people’s homes across the country.”