Nearly one blaze a day blamed on tumble dryers, figures show

Tumble dryers cause almost one blaze reported to fire brigades every day, according to new figures.

Brigades were called to 926 tumble dryer fires between 2011 and 2013, amounting to 309 each year, Freedom of Information data obtained by the Daily Mirror showed.

Hotpoint models accounted for the highest number of dryer-related fires with 410 in the three-year period, the paper added.

It comes after thousands of appliance owners received warnings that some Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit-branded machines could pose a fire risk.

Last year, research by consumer group Which? showed tumble dryers were the second biggest cause of house fires, accounting for 12% behind washing machines on 14%.

Commenting on the latest figures, Which? executive director Richard Lloyd told the paper: "More needs to be done to protect consumers from this risk and it is crucial that products known to be dangerous are recalled as quickly as possible."

Indesit warned last November the problem with its machines could occur when excess fluff came into contact with the heating element.

It was discovered after parent company Whirlpool ordered a review of Indesit's product safety.

The products affected are the manufacturer's condenser and vented tumble dryers made and sold under the three brands between April 2004 and September 2015.

Customers can check online if their appliance is among those affected by keying in the model and serial number on the Indesit website.

The firm offers a one-hour service to correct the issue and advises owners not to leave a machine awaiting repair unattended while it is in use.