West Midlands Fire service issue urgent product recall telling owners 'please stop'

West Midlands Fire Service has warned owners of a desk top heater to stop using it immediately amidst serious fire concerns. Fire chiefs released an urgent product recall on April 18 for the Portable Desktop Fan Heater Z14.

The recall alert was originally issued last month, but the service launched a renewed appeal on Thursday. Owners were told to "stop using it immediately" and check on the Electrical Safety First recall site to see if their model is affected.

WMFS released a picture of the model that homeowners should stop using, and stated that it does not meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. They released the full details of models that should stop being used, as well as guidance on what to do next if you do own the models concerned.

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A recall notice on the Electrical Safety First website read: "Risk: fire. Models affect are Z14 and SKU: HTR-B19.

"Details - a small white and gold portable fan heater with black grill. The product presents a serious risk of fire as, during testing, some of the internal wiring melted, resulting in an electrical short circuit.

"If the product was to short circuit during use, this could cause a current overload and overheating in the appliance, causing it to catch fire. Improvements are required to marking, labelling and documentation.

"The product does not meet the requirements of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016. If you believe you have an affected product stop using it immediately and contact the retailer for further advice.

"Electrical Safety First strongly recommends that anyone who discovers they have an electrical item that has been recalled should stop using it until it has been checked by the manufacturer."