Bath firefighters were called after a washing machine caught fire in a Southdown home.

Two fire engines from Bath responded to the 999 call to the Haycombe Drive property but the fire was out when they arrived.

Fire officers stayed to examine the scene on Friday evening (March 10) and concluded that the fire was accidental.

The call-out came after revelations that faulty household appliances, including washing machines, caused more than 200 fires in the Avon and Somerset area last year.

Exclusive figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws showed that 239 fires started because of a faulty appliance.

The data revealed that 18 fires were caused by faulty washing machines and 14 by faulty tumble dryers.

Some 198 fires were caused by faulty cooking appliances such as cookers and ovens (127 fires), rings and hot plates (33 fires) or grills and toasters (23 fires).

Fire damaged kitchen with washing machine and upturned clothes horse [Stock image]

The data, provided by Avon Fire and Rescue, covered all fires caused by white goods between January and October 2017.

In the area, during the whole of 2016, there were 259 fires caused by a faulty appliance.

Across England and Wales, 38 fire and rescue services that responded to the request for information recorded a total of 5,832 fires caused by white goods and electrical appliances.

That works out as an average of nearly 16 every day, or one every 96 minutes.

Nationally, cooking appliances, tumble dryers and washing machines were the most common culprits, causing 2,030, 834 and 557 fires respectively.


Picture shows the flames of the Wells Road house fire
More than 200 fires were caused by faulty appliances in Avon and Somerset last year

Police and fire services believe that the fire started accidentally in a fridge-freezer on the fourth floor.

Martyn Allen, technical director at Electrical Safety First, a charity working to reduce deaths from electrical appliances, said: “Faults, poor quality and user misuse mean large white goods are a major cause of fire in UK homes.

“These fires can have devastating effects, as we have seen at Shepherd’s Court, Lakanal House and Grenfell Tower. However, there are some steps people can take to protect themselves.

Houshold appliances can be a fire risk

“For example, always register your appliance with the manufacturer so you can be notified if there’s a recall, and always follow the instructions supplied with the appliance.

“Less than half of us register our appliances, meaning we risk missing out on vital safety warnings.

“Electrical Safety First has long campaigned for regular electrical checks in UK homes and supports calls for a single national product safety agency, including the introduction of a centralised recall database.

“Without this, it is extremely difficult for consumers to actually know if the products they are using are safe.”
