Warning issued to anyone with a tumble dryer

A warning has been issued to anyone with a tumble dryer as not following simple rules could result in a fire. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has released advice for anyone with “white goods” – large appliances like tumble dryers, washing machines, fridges, and freezers. It said it attends “many fires”, which can be fatal, sparked by faulty electrical appliances, and gave handy tips to prevent this.

Its advice reads: “If you are concerned about the safety of a product stop using it and make your concern known to the retailer, manufacturer or your local Trading Standards office. Clean your tumble dryer filter after every load. Don’t overload sockets with lots of energy-hungry appliances – follow the one plug per socket rule.

“Take extra care with second-hand appliances, ensure they have been safety checked and are not listed on the product recall register.

“Always make sure new appliances are registered so that manufacturers can contact you in the event of any problems.”

A list of recalled products is available on the gov.uk Product Recall page and new appliances can be registered on registermyappliance.org.uk.

The LFB also has advice on how to use extension leads safely, so households are not overloading their socket with white goods. It attends on average 24 fires each week that are caused by chargers, batteries, and cables.

The brigade urged people to always replace old or worn cables instead of doing a DIY fix, such as by using electrical tape.

It added: “Some appliances use more power than others, so be mindful of not overloading your extension leads. Power-hungry appliances such as kettles, toasters and microwaves shouldn’t be on the same extension.

“Always use a fused ‘inline’ type – not the plug-in cube type – but be really careful not to overload it. This is all too easy if you add extra adaptors/extensions, or appliances that use lots of power like kettles, tumble dryers or heaters.

“It’s also important to fully unwind drum extensions leads. If you leave them coiled, they can overheat and cause a fire.”