Lincolnshire householders urged to register their kitchen appliances to potentially prevent a fire

The aftermath of a faulty tumble dryer fire. EMN-190124-111545001

And many could have been prevented if residents had registered the makes and models of their appliances online.

You can make your home ‘safer in seconds’ by registering, so if faults are detected in the models of appliances you own, you will be notified.

In some cases, manufacturers will fix or replace household goods. You can also check whether older models have been recalled.

Today (January 24) is Register My Appliance Day. Angela Tuckerman from Lincoln had a fire due to an electrical fault in her dishwasher on January 3, and subsequently discovered that it had been on the list of recalled items. She urges people to register their appliances to prevent such incidents happening to them.

Angela said: “Take a few minutes to check your white goods are safe because there are so many appliances out there that are not. I never thought it would happen to me.

“Because our dishwasher wasn’t new, we hadn’t registered it. If we’d have known the model had been recalled we would have stopped using it immediately.

“Luckily we were at home and had working smoke alarms when the fire happened. It took no time at all for the fire to establish.“

Karen Gardner, community fire safety manager at Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, said: “It’s really quick and easy to protect yourself, your home and family, from this type of fire, by registering white goods you use every day.

“The website works on mobile devices too so you can go round your house and check everything in one go. It doesn’t matter when you bought your dishwasher, washing machine and other goods, you can register new and older appliances.

“Of course, fires can still happen and it’s vital that even if you’ve registered your appliances, you have a working smoke alarm – they really do save lives.”

Emma Milligan, principal trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council said: “Following a number of high profile fires and incidents involving white goods, we’re working much more closely with fire and rescue colleagues, sharing information about white goods which have been on fire in Lincolnshire. We then share that information nationally and direct with manufacturers.

“For me, registering your appliances is an absolute must – you can get essential information sent directly to you. As we’ve seen some horrendous fires caused by white goods and appliances – it could quite easily be the difference between life and death.”