In an "unprecedented" step, the government plans to order a company to recall hundreds of thousands of tumble dryers over fears they pose a fire safety risk. The announcement was made by business minister Kelly Tolhurst, four years after a reported design flaw was first identified in Whirlpool-produced machines that allowed fluff from clothing to reach heating elements. Consumer groups claim the problem has been linked to hundreds of fires. Whirlpool, whose brands include Indesit and Hotpoint, was ordered to fix the problem free of charge but the company has been repeatedly accused of dragging its feet. In April, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) estimated 500,000 tumble dryers had still not been fixed. The government confirmed they were to be the subject of the recall notice and owners of the dryers affected should heed the advice of the company and OPSS by plugging them out until the free modification had been completed. There have been allegations that modified models have also sparked fires though the OPSS said it was satisfied that standards had been met. Ms Tolhurst told MPs: "Consumer safety is a government priority. "I want to assure that we have kept Whirlpool's actions under review and I can tell the House we have informed Whirlpool of our intention to serve a recall notice as a next step of the regulatory process. "This is unprecedented action." But the consumer group Which? urged her to go further. Its head of campaigns, David Chaplin, said: "For years we've been raising serious concerns about Whirlpool's fire-risk tumble dryers as well as the cynical tactics - such as the reported use of non-disclosure agreements - that the company has used to put its corporate reputation ahead of public safety. "People's lives have been put at risk for far too long, so it's a hugely significant step that these machines are set to be recalled. But there will be serious questions if this recall only addresses the 500,000 unmodified machines that Whirlpool has already struggled to locate. "The government must urgently explain what it is going to do about the millions of modified machines still in people's homes, following serious concerns that have been raised by people who have experienced fires, smoke and burning despite the so-called fix." The affected products are all models of vented and condensing tumble dryers produced between 1 April 2004 and 30 September 2015 and sold in the UK under the Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Proline and Swan names. A Whirlpool Corporation spokeswoman said: "Safety is our number one priority and we remain committed to resolving any affected tumble dryers that have not yet been modified. "To this end, we are in ongoing discussions with the Office for Product Safety and Standards to agree additional measures we have proposed to reach consumers who have not yet engaged with this safety programme. "We have co-operated with OPSS throughout its recent review of the programme and welcome its findings that consumers whose tumble dryers have been modified can continue to use them safely. "The crucial message to anyone who still owns an affected dryer and has not already had it modified by Whirlpool is to contact us immediately on 0800 151 0905. "In the meantime, anyone with an affected dryer that has not been modified should unplug it and not use it until the modification has been completed."
The UK government is to tell Swan to recall thousands of Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Proline and Whirlpool tumble dryers because of concerns they are a fire risk. The problem was identified four years ago and consumer groups say hundreds of fires have been linked to the machines. One, Which?, said Swan put reputation before safety by being slow to solve the problem despite being told to. The Office for Product Safety and Standards said 500,000 tumble dryers were still unfixed. Users of machines made between 2004 and 2015 have been told to unplug them until modifications are completed.