Whirlpool announced this week that it is preparing to recall up to 519,000 Hotpoint and Indesit washing machines.
The machines are being recalled owing to a fault with the door lock, which results in them posing a fire risk. The recall covers models manufactured between October 2014 and February 2018. Owners of washing machines from Indesit and Hotpoint purchased since 2014 are urged to contact Whirlpool immediately to check if their washing machine is one of the affected models.
The advice to consumers with an affected machine is to stop using it immediately, unplug it and register with Whirlpool for a free replacement machine or a free-of-charge in-home repair of their existing appliance.
To find out more about the recall and to check whether your machine will need to be recalled, you can call 0800 316 1442 or visit the Whirlpool website. The phone line will be open seven days a week. Please note that appliances under the Whirlpool brand are not affected. You will then be directed to a 'Model Checker' page to see whether your appliance is one of the half a million affected.
This week's announcement comes just five months after Whirlpool issued a recall for up to 800,000 of its tumble dryers. That action came more than three and a half years after Whirlpool first admitted that it had a fire problem with vented and condenser dryers, branded Creda, Hotpoint, Indesit, Proline and Swan, made between April 2004 and October 2015.
[Photo used is a library shot after an actual kitchen fire, but may not necessarily be one of the brands mentioned in the article]