Whirlpool – which also owns Indesit, Creda and Proline – changes advice after criticism from trading standards and Which?

The maker of Hotpoint and Indesit tumble dryers has changed its advice to the owners of millions of potentially dangerous machines, telling customers to unplug the appliances and stop using them until they are repaired.

Whirlpool – whose brands also include Creda, Swan and Proline – on Wednesday updated the advice on its website after receiving two enforcement notices from Peterborough trading standards. In December the trading standards office was threatened with a judicial review by consumer group Which? for its handling of the “fiasco” of the faulty machines. Whirlpool has also been advised to publicise the changed advice to consumers through advertisements in national newspapers, through social media and in stores.

The trading standards arm of Peterborough city council has been dealing with the alert because the company’s UK head office is located in the Cambridgeshire city.

Whirlpool has been replacing or repairing an estimated 3.8 million potentially faulty machines across the UK after identifying a safety defect in November 2015, caused when excess fluff touches the heating element. However, it did not issue a product recall, telling customers they could continue to use their tumble dryer while waiting for the modification, provided it was not left unattended.

Which? took the unusual step – the first time it has made a formal legal move involving trading standards – in order to assess the lawfulness of the decision to allow householders to continue to use faulty machines, despite the risk of them bursting into flames. It has now dropped the action.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest An allegedly faulty Indesit tumble dryer causes as fire at a high-rise in Shepherd’s Bush, west London. Photograph: @liam_twomey/PA

An investigation by the London fire brigade concluded that an Indesit tumble dryer was to blame for a serious blaze in an 18-storey tower block in west London.



The fire chiefs – along with Which? and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute – urged Whirlpool to change its advice to customers so that any dryers waiting to be modified are not used. Whirlpool had rejected that advice until now.

The Whirlpool website now says: “Trading standards confirmed, following an internal review by independent experts, that the modification programme remains the most effective way of resolving this issue. As a result, we will continue with our efforts to provide consumers with a free of charge modification as quickly as possible. The modification programme will continue. Trading standards have also notified us that updated usage advice should be communicated to affected consumers. If your tumble dryer is affected by this issue then you should unplug it and do not use it until the modification has taken place.”

The company said in a statement: “Trading standards have now notified us that updated usage advice should be communicated to consumers and we are implementing this. Trading standards have confirmed that our actions to date in this campaign have been undertaken diligently and responsibly.”

The enforcement notices were issued on 16 January and were initially appealed by Whirlpool. If the company had not complied with the notices, it would have been taken to court. Sources told the Guardian that the latest action followed “an escalation” in the number of incidents caused by affected machines.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Inside of a Hotpoint tumble dryer, full of fluff, while being modified to fix a fire hazard. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo

Alex Neill, Which? managing director of home and legal services, said, “Following our long-running campaign and recent application for judicial review, Peterborough trading standards has finally taken enforcement action against Whirlpool for the ongoing tumble dryer safety issue. Fundamentally, we now believe a full recall is necessary and the government must now urgently address the issues with the product safety system as it shouldn’t need the threat of judicial review to ensure consumers are protected from dangerous products. Despite updating the safety notice on its websites, Whirlpool still needs to do a lot more. Our advice to consumers is to go straight to Whirlpool to demand your machine is fixed, but also try speaking to the retailer you bought it from.”

A spokesman for Peterborough trading standards said it had “issued an enforcement notice to Whirlpool, instructing them to change current consumer advice in relation to faulty tumble dryers. We are committed to the safety of the public and have a continuing duty to review our advice to Whirlpool.”

The spokesman said anyone who owns owns an Indesit, Hotpoint, Creda, Swan or Proline dryer manufactured between April 2004 and September 2015 should check if their appliance is affected and then register for a free modification if it is.

In a recent serious incident, a Grade-II listed Georgian mansion in Kelsale, East Suffolk, was virtually destroyed after a major fire last week. It is thought the blaze may have started in a tumble dryer although the make and model are unknown.

The property was occupied at the time but those inside managed to escape and there were no reports of injuries, Suffolk fire service said. Thirty-five vehicles and 80 firefighters were called out to deal with the Kelsale Hall fire at its height.

Which? claimed in its application for judicial review that Peterborough trading standards had failed consumers by not properly carrying out its role as an enforcer of product safety laws. It believes that the handling of this case highlights problems with the current product safety system and the difficulties local trading standards branches face standing up to big business as effective enforcers.

The London fire brigade estimates there is one fire caused by white goods every day in the capital. The Local Government Association, which represents all fire authorities, says there are three fires a day caused by tumble dryers in England and Wales.

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 for the UK, or 1800 804320 for Ireland.