MILLIONS still at risk from ‘killer’ tumble dryers as government is accused of ignoring faulty appliances

MILLIONS of families are still being told to use potentially 'killer' tumble dryers, despite warnings being issued in Australia to those with machines with exactly the same fault to stop using them.

Later today MPs will debate in the House of Commons about whether the government needs to intervene and order firms who have faulty machines to take them out of service if there is a risk of fire.

The debate has been spurred on by a fire in a flat which ripped through an 18-storey high rise in Shepherd's Bush caused 100 families to be evacuated.

Over 120 firefighters were called to fight the blaze.

Tumble dryers made by Whirlpool have been linked to fires in 750 homes since 2004, according to research by Which?.

The company is in the process of replacing or repairing 4.3million potentially faulty machines - under the brand names Indesit, Hotpoint, Creda and Proline - across the UK after finding a safety defect in October last year.

The machines can be dangerous because excess fluff can catch in the heating element and cause a fire.

More than 810,000 machines have been repaired or replaced since October last year, leaving more than three million households still at risk.

While UK customers wait for a repair or replacement from Whilrpool has instructed them that they can continue to use faulty machines as long as they are not left unattended.

However, this is not the case in Australia where customers who have machines with exactly the same fault as those in the UK are told to ‘cease using the product immediately’.