At MS Electrical Services we spend our working lives keeping electrical safety in check, so we’re delighted to see that Which? are now lobbying ministers to act now on unsafe appliances in our homes and workplaces. The Which? findings, which you can view in more detail here, shockingly reveal that faulty household appliances are causing more than 60 fires every week.
Alarmingly, Which? confirms that there were 6,206 household fires caused by faulty appliances and leads between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2016. Fires caused by faulty washing machines and tumble dryers accounted for 35% of those fires, meaning those two appliances alone are responsible for an average of over 20 fires per week. Other appliances presenting a high level of risk for the same period included cookers/ovens (11%), dishwashers (10%) and fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers (8%).
Responding to the Which? campaign, Mark Smith, owner of MS Electrical Services, urged everyone to remain cautious. "We can’t stress how important it is for all appliances to be safe, and to be tested on a regular basis, so please do check your appliances and if you have any concerns at all, please raise them with the manufacturer or a qualified electrician. We’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on developments with the Which? campaign as it is far better to be safe than sorry."
MS Electrical Services offers PAT testing and fixed wire testing in Cambridge, Ely and Newmarket, so please call us on 01223 850301 / 01353 665106 to request a no-obligation quotation.