Legal Experts Say Company Must Do More To Ensure Customer Safety

Defective product experts at law firm Irwin Mitchell say that Whirlpool must recall models of tumble dryers which have caused a series of house fires, to ensure customer safety.

The move comes after the Government’s Consumer Minister, Margot James, said: “Customer safety must be the number one priority for manufacturers. I acknowledge that Whirlpool are making great efforts to modify and replace at-risk machines, but I believe additional action is required to reassure customers and the public. I will be writing to the company to set out my concerns and expectations.”

Some models of dryers made by Whirlpool have been responsible for a spate of fires across the country, but Whirlpool has so far refused to issue a product recall.
Instead it has advised customers to continue to use the affected machines while they are waiting for them to be “modified” – provided they are not left unattended.

Fresh pressure has now been placed on Whirlpool after a London Fire Brigade report concluded that a faulty Indesit machine, part of the Whirlpool brand, caused a serious tower block blaze in Shepherd’s Bush, London, in August.

The blaze tore through the 18-storey block in West London and took 120 firefighters hours to bring under control.

It is a year since Whirlpool admitted that the fire fault exists in some models and is caused when excess fluff touches the heating element. 

The company is replacing or repairing more than 5 million potentially faulty machines across the UK, under the brand names Indesit, Hotpoint, Creda and Proline.

Defective product solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, Matthew Newbould, called for the firm to issue a recall on affected dryers and said more needs to be done to improve the safety of white goods.