Dangerous tumble dryers prone to exploding into flames need recalling urgently to avoid people "playing Russian roulette" as new figures reveal firefighters are attending three fires a day caused by the appliances.



The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 48 fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales, is calling on leading manufacturers to recall faulty tumble dryers which have been linked to thousands of fires caused by excess fluff contacting heating elements.

Government statistics show there were 2,190 tumble dryer fires between 2012 and 2014 – equating to three a day.

Homes have been ruined and in some cases, the machines have burst into flames as people loaded them with clothes. An inquest has opened into the deaths of two men who died after a tumble dryer caught fire.

The LGA is warning that companies who are running lengthy repair programmes for potentially dangerous machines, instead of recalling them, are risking the lives of millions of customers.

It is calling on manufacturers to recall affected tumble dryers and for all white goods to have fire-proof markings on them, including the manufacturer, model and serial number, so they can be identified more easily if they are damaged after causing a fire.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Chair of the LGA's Fire Services Management Committee, said:

"People using faulty tumble dryers are unwittingly playing Russian roulette and leading manufacturers need to recall affected models as soon as possible to protect their customers.

"Firefighters are attending tumble dryer fires three times a day, which is alarming. These defective products are endangering lives, causing thousands of pounds of damage to homes and making people homeless.

"People's safety must be the priority. It's been months since some manufacturers issued safety warnings over their tumble dryers but they need to be recalled as these appliances are still causing fires - until they do so, consumers continue to risk falling victim to a devastating and tragic house fire.

"Fire-proof markings on all white goods would also help improve manufacturing and safety standards by helping fire investigators identify the make and model of any appliance damaged after causing a fire.

"People must take simple precautions using tumble dryers. The compartment where fibres from fabric build up should be cleaned out after every load of clothes is dried, to reduce the risk of it igniting, and the vent or any other opening should not be covered.

"People should never leave tumble dryers on overnight or when they go out. Anyone buying an electrical item should complete the guarantee registration to ensure goods which do not meet safety specifications are repaired, replaced or refunded. This also enables manufacturers to contact owners in the event of a product recall.

"People also need to ensure they have a working smoke alarm - which can be a life-saver - in the event something does go wrong and test them regularly, ideally once a week."

Anyone with concerns about the safety of electrical appliances can report them to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

Case studies

Between 2004 and September 2015 there were 395 tumble dryer fires in Lancashire, including 29 in the Preston area, 41 in South Ribble and 25 across Chorley. In May 2016, a Morecambe family had a lucky escape after their tumble dryer burst into flames while they were asleep. In March, firefighters issued an urgent warning about the danger of fluff in tumble dryers after two people needed treatment following a house blaze in Preston.
http://www.lep.co.uk/your-lancashire...ires-1-7938784

A total of 133 fires linked to tumble dryers have been logged by Surrey Fire and Rescue Service from January 2010 to 26 January 2016, one of which left 11 people injured.
http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surr...fires-10894467

A mother-of-two fled her Nottingham flat with her children after her tumble dryer burst into flames while she was loading it in May 2016.
http://www.nottinghampost.com/Tumble...ail/story.html

A mum and her two young daughters were made homeless after their tumble dryer caught fire and caused thousands of pounds of damage in Grays, Essex. They escaped after being woken by their fire alarm while asleep in February 2016.
http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/14264499/

Beauticians and customers had a lucky escape when a tumble dryer in a salon in Harrow set on fire on 13 March, 2016. The shops smoke alarm activated meaning they were able to leave unscathed. Earlier this year, London Fire Brigade released figures showing nearly one fire a day in the capital involves white goods such as dishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers and freezers, with a fault in the appliance being the cause of 90 per cent of these fires.
http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/...arrow-11347612