Is your tumble dryer a fire risk? How to check if yours is among 85,000 affected

Tens of thousands of households across the UK are being urged to check whether their heat pump tumble dryer is a serious fire risk due to an overheating fault.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) warned on Thursday that around 85,000 integrated heat pump tumble dryers, which affect several major brands manufactured by the Haier Group Corporation, should not be used “under any circumstances”.

Affected brands include Baumatic, Candy, Caple, Hoover, Lamona, Iberna and Montpellier.

Tumble dryer risk

Have you been impacted by a faulty tumble dryer?

What actually is the problem, and exactly what brands pose a fire risk? STV News explains.

Short circuit issue

The fault revolves around an internal short circuit that overheats during normal operation, which may cause the tumble dryer to ignite.

Consumer electronics company Haier launched a corrective action programme earlier this year covering 103,000 tumble dryers. But the OPSS ordered the company to halt its initial repairs after concerns were raised that the original modification was still unsafe.

Following an updated fix, Haier has now resumed the programme and begun contacting consumers once again.

The company first focused on arranging second repairs for machines that had already received the earlier modification.

It is now working through the remaining 85,000 unmodified dryers still posing a fire hazard.

Owners are being told to stop using their appliance immediately and check the model and serial number online to see if it is part of the recall.

What brands are affected?

Baumatic
Candy
Caple
Haier
Hoover
Iberna
Lamona
Montpellier

The OPSS says the action is based on ongoing reporting provided by Haier, and warns that affected appliances should not be used under any circumstances.

Consumers are urged to check immediately whether their appliance is affected and contact the manufacturer to arrange a repair.

If the plug is accessible, households should also switch off and unplug the machine until the repair is carried out.

Last year, a mum of two told STV News how she had to watch her house burn after her tumble dryer burst into flames in Edinburgh.

Abby was making lunch for her 18-month-old toddler on November 7, 2024, when she saw flames out of the corner of her eye.

Edinburgh & East

Family ‘devastated’ after cat dies in house fire caused by tumble dryer

Iain Clark and his wife had to grab their children to escape the blaze at their home on Willowbank Rise, Dunfermline.

The year before, a family spoke of their devastation after a fire started by a tumble dryer destroyed their home and killed their beloved pet cat.

Iain Clark and his wife had to grab their children, aged six and one, and run after the blaze took hold of their home on Willowbank Rise, Dunfermline in 2023.