Last year there were 47 fires caused by Tumble Dryers in Scottish Homes. Stirling’s MP, Stephen Kerr has joined the campaign being run by the Charity ‘Electrical Safety First’ to raise awareness of the dangers these appliances can present.
Stephen Kerr is also reminding consumers that Whirlpool is currently recalling a large number of their Tumble Dryers. The company estimates there are still half a million affected machines in UK homes. The MP is urging people to check if their appliance is one of those models that the manufacturer has recalled. Product recalls have an average 20% effectiveness rate and that means potentially a huge number of machines remain in peoples homes and being used every week. Whirlpool produce brands including Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda and Swan.
The dedicated website - www.whitegoodsafety.com - provides useful information about how to use your Tumble Dryer safely, including always allow the programme to run fully ,never run the machine overnight or when you are out and never overload it.
To check if your Whirlpool machine has been recalled go to the white goods safety site and follow the link to Whirlpool’s online model checker to see if your product is affected – if it is, call Whirlpool on 0800 151 0905 to have it replaced or consult https://safety.hotpoint.eu to check your model. If you’re in any doubt, stop using- and unplug - your machine immediately.
The website also provides information on manufacturer recall for a range of other appliances.
Stephen Kerr said:-
Given the huge number of machines affected it is highly likely that they are in homes across the Stirling area. I would urge everyone to check and act if they do have one of these appliances. Anyone with a tumble dryer should be aware of how to use it safely given the potentially serious consequences of not doing so. Ideally use them as little as possible anyway given their environmental impact.