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Home » News & Events » 2017 » February » ​Fire Service issues tumble dryer safety advice

​Fire Service issues tumble dryer safety advice

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Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) is issuing safety advice on the use of tumble dryers after Whirlpool have given new advice about the safety of their products.

Owners of the faulty Hotpoint, Creda, Indesit, Swan and Proline models have now been warned to unplug the machines immediately due to a fault which can lead to an accumulation of fluff catching fire inside the dryer.

Station Commander Stuart Crebbin from the Community Risk department said: "When this was fault was first established about a year ago, the advice given was that people should not leave the dryers unattended during use until a technician has been to fix the fault. Whirlpool now say that if your tumble dryer is affected by this issue, then you should unplug it and not use it until the modification has taken place."

He continued "People are using tumble dryers more frequently, especially during the colder months, so we would like to issue some advice when using these appliances, in particular never leave a tumble dryer on when you are out of the house".

The Service has issued the following tumble dryer safety advice:

  • Always follow the manufacturer's instructions
  • Don't use tumble dryers at night or while unattended
  • Clean the filters regularly to ensure they do not become blocked with fluff
  • Items should be removed from the dryer immediately after the cycle and shaken loose to assist cooling
  • Don't overload plug sockets. Ensure that no more than 13 amps are in any one plug socket.

Station Commander Crebbin concluded: "Having working smoke alarms in your house can save lives. You must ensure you have a working smoke alarm on every level of your home and test them each week".

Whirlpool tumble dryer owners can find out if their dryer is affected on https://safety.hotpoint.eu/, https://safety.indesit.eu/, and https://safety-swan.eu, or call a dedicated freephone helpline on 0800 151 0905