THOUSANDS of Beko tumble dryers, including a model that caused a house fire which killed a mother-of-two from Frankley, need to be fixed following safety fears.
Customers are being urged to stop using Beko and Blomberg 8kg and 9kg condenser tumble dryers made between May and November in 2012.
Beko Plc has identified up to 3,450 machines could be affected after finding a batch with a faulty component supplied by an outside company.
It says that in ‘rare circumstances the component could fail and overheat, potentially leading to a risk of fire’.
A free, voluntary product repair service is being offered for owners of the affected models, which are DCU8230W (pictured), DCU9330R, DCU9330W, DSC85W and TKF8439A.
Andrew Mullen, head of quality at Beko Plc, said: “A small number of Beko and Blomberg 8kg and 9kg condenser tumble dryers have been affected by this faulty component, however we would urge any customer who thinks that they may be affected product to check.
“Whilst there is a low level of risk, we are taking the proactive step of initiating a voluntary repair programme to ensure we can modify all affected products.”
The affected dryers include the model of tumble dryer which an inquest by Birmingham Coroner’s Court found led to the death of Mishell Moloney at her home in Coriander Close in February last year.
Beko has confirmed it is the same model but is a separate issue which is not related to the current recall.
A spokeswoman said: “Ms Moloney’s death was a tragic and isolated incident.
“As stated by the coroner at the inquest, the source of the fire within the tumble dryer was most likely the printed control board. The component in this repair programme was excluded by forensics experts as the cause so is therefore unrelated.”
Check your tumble dryer by calling free-phone 0800 917 2018 or visiting www.beko.co.uk/dryerrepair or www.blomberguk.com/dryerrepair and entering the model number into the online product checker.
