Tumble Dryers Catching Fire: Now Hotpoint Washing Machines Are Exploding

A family have been left devastated after their kitchen was destroyed by an EXPLODING washing machine.

The Hotpoint appliance blew up while full of clothes, and cracked the worktop surface while also shattering two cupboards.

It comes after a series of incidents involving tumble dryers which have reportedly led to hundreds of injuries and at least three fatalities.

Now, Plymouth couple Simon and Zara Bettridge and their three children have been left without a usable kitchen after the freak incident.

Mr Bettridge, a bus driver, says the incident has left his autistic daughter in ‘a lot of pain and anguish’.

The 43-year-old also says that he was told by Hotpoint that an engineer would not be able to visit their home for up to 10 days after the explosion.

He said: ‘I explained to them it’s not acceptable and we’ve got no sink or way of washing up.

‘I feel that Hotpoint has treated this as a normal breakdown and not addressed the fact it has caused us massive amounts of anguish and chaos. I thought they would pay more attention to us and the situation.

Mr Bettridge also said that his wife feared that their home had been burgled because the explosion had caused such devastation in their kitchen.

He added: ‘The fire brigade came out to make sure our home was safe and that there was no gas or water leak. Even they said they’d never seen anything like this before.

‘At some point the washing machine drum came apart and sent its load up through the top of the washing machine and destroyed a good chunk of the kitchen. If a child had been stood anywhere near they would have been seriously injured.

‘Our disabled daughter, Oliviah, is very distraught. Autistic children don’t cope very well when there’s change, especially when it’s a negative one.’

In a statement, a spokesman for Hotpoint said: ‘We investigate all reported incidents thoroughly as soon as they are reported to us and in the case of Mr and Mrs Bettridge, customer services will call the customer on Wednesday 17th February to arrange for the machine to be removed and examined in detail. ‘However, until we have completed these investigations, you will understand we are unable to comment further on this isolated incident.’