Warning over deadly electrical appliances in thousands of homes around the UK
More than 4,500 blazes in the UK happened last year because of faulty electrical goods
DODGY electrical goods were responsible for more than 4,500 fires last year - the equivalent of 13 blazes EVERY DAY.
New figures from charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) reveal that faulty goods caused 20 per cent of all electrical house fires in the UK in 2017, leaving hundreds injured and in some cases, causing death.
It's now urging Brits to help protect themselves by always registering their white goods with the manufacturer so it can contact them if it needs to be recalled.
Just 24 per cent of consumers register their goods, with two-thirds (66 per cent) thinking that the manufacturer only ask you to register in order to send marketing and promotional messages.
To help improve safety, it's also calling for a new "voluntary mark" to be used by makers of fridges and freezers to show they've been made from fire resistant materials.
It also wants the Government to create a product recall database, which would let Brits to check that the appliances they're using are safe.
'I FELT SO DISTRESSED AND HELPLESS AS THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO'
MICHELLE Harvey and her partner Neil Thomas's home was left devastated by a dishwasher fire last year.
The couple from Wrexham, north Wales, had to move out of their rented house for five months after their Hotpoint dishwasher caught fire, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Michelle said: "We were upstairs tidying when we could hear the blinds cracking at the windows downstairs.
"The next thing Neil was screaming that there was a fire and to get out.
"I ran downstairs to see the hallway covered in thick black smoke and flames pouring out the front of the dishwasher door. We got outside and stood waiting for the sound of sirens. I felt so distressed and helpless as there was nothing we could do.
"Our landlord hadn’t bought the machine. It came with the house when they purchased it and was there when we moved in. We had no idea of its history or that it had been recalled. It was an accident waiting to happen and I’m so relieved that we were there when it did and not out or asleep."
“I worry that there are a lot of other people living with recalled products who haven’t been notified."
Since 2007 there have been 516 recall notices for electrical goods - but ESF say that as only 10 to 20 per cent of faulty goods are ever returned, there are potentially millions of dangerous appliances in people's homes.
The shock figures come a month after MPs slammed Whirlpool for its "woeful" response to potentially dangerous tumble dryers after it emerged there are still in one million homes across the UK.
It's fixed or replaced around 1.7million dryers since the defect was first revealed in 2015.
For 15 months it told customers that the machines were safe to use - but in February last year it changed its advice and said they shouldn't be used until it had been repaired.
In a victory for The Sun, the Government has launched the new Office for Product Safety and Standards, which will be responsible for identifying and managing the reaction by manufacturers to unsafe products.
Phil Buckle, Chief Executive at Electrical Safety First said: "We regularly hear of fires, some of them fatal, which have been caused by faulty electrical appliances.
"We’re urging people to protect themselves from these risks by always registering their products. It only takes a few minutes, and will give you and your family peace of mind that you will be notified if a dangerous product is in your home."
"We fully supports the new Office for Product Safety and Standards and would like to work with them on ensuring that the UK’s product safety system works as effectively as possible.
"We strongly recommend that a centrally managed product recall database is established, which would allow consumers to check that the appliances they are using are safe.
";There is a lot more to be done to tackle the threat posed by dangerous electrical goods and we urge the new office to work in the best interests of consumers."
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