Electrical Safety First has responded to police confirmation that the Grenfell Tower tragedy was caused by a faulty Hotpoint fridge freezer.
Electrical Safety First chief executive Phil Buckle commented: “While investigations continue into why this tragic fire spread so quickly, we know that fridge freezers – along with other large white goods – cause a significant number of fires in UK homes. Data provided by fire services in England, gathered over the past six years, show four fires a week, on average, are caused by faulty fridge freezers.
“We note that Hotpoint is taking urgent action to address consumer safety concerns and has committed itself to assisting the authorities in any way they can. However, it seems the fridge freezer in question has not been subject to a product recall – although these generally have a limited success rate in terms of engaging the end-consumer. The effectiveness of a recall can be as low as 10%-20%.”
Electrical Safety First has campaigned extensively to raise awareness of the need for an improved product registration process – to make it simple for consumers to register their electrical appliances and ensure manufacturers can advise of any potential safety risks.
“As members of the government’s Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety, we contributed to the government website, Product Recall, which has just launched today,” Phil added. “It advises anyone who owns a Hotpoint fridge freezer model number FF175BP (white) or FF175BG (grey) to call Whirlpool’s freephone hotline on 0800 316 3826. Or visit www.hotpointservice.co.uk/fridgefreezer to register their details for further updates.
“We encourage anyone who owns this appliance to contact Hotpoint now.”
