Whirlpool urged to compensate families left using laundrettes because of dangerous washing machines

Whirlpool has been urged to compensate families who have been left using laundrettes because their washing machines pose a fire risk.

The manufacturing giant faced fresh calls to offer affected customers a full refund on Thursday, as it launches a recall of up to 519,000 devices.

So far Whirlpool has offered to repair or replace the appliances, which are at risk of catching fire due to a flaw with the door-locking system.

Which?, the consumer watchdog, said it has "serious concerns" this policy could leave many customers with dangerous devices in their homes for several months.

Sue Davies, head of consumer protection at Which?, said: "It would clearly be unacceptable if customers were left for many months without adequate washing facilities in their homes, particularly when there is also no offer to cover consequential costs such as trips to the laundrette.

"The company should do the right thing and offer customers a refund, so people can get fire-risk machines out of their homes and quickly find a suitable replacement."

Which? said it has been contacted by customers who have chosen to do all their washing at laundrettes rather than continue using their Whirlpool machines.

Others have bought new machines from different brands or done their washing at relatives' houses.

Hundreds of thousands of washing machines sold under the Hotpoint and Indesit brands in the UK between October 2014 and February 2018 could pose a fire risk.

Whirlpool offered customers refunds of up to £150 when it recalled hundreds of thousands of faulty tumble dryers last year.

The company has apologised "for any inconvenience caused by this recall".

A spokesman added: "Replacing or repairing affected units free-of-charge completely removes the risk of this issue and avoids any possibility of the machines entering the second hand market.

"Therefore, this is the most effective means of removing this risk from people’s homes."

Whirlpool previously said it was working at "full speed" to prepare for the recall, and advised consumers to unplug their washing machines in the meantime and not use them.

Those who chose to continue using their machines should only use cold water cycles of 20C or lower as this significantly reduces the risk, Whirlpool said.

This is because the issue is associated with the washing machine's heating element being activated during wash cycles above 20C.

Under the recall, all affected customers will have the choice of either a free-of-charge like-for-like replacement washing machine, or a free-of-charge in-home repair of their existing appliance.

Consumers can check if their washing machine is affected by visiting washingmachinerecall.whirlpool.co.uk. This site includes an online model checker tool, as well as a full list of model numbers.

Alternatively, customers can call Whirlpool's freephone hotline, 0800 316 1442, where an adviser can assist with checking their model and providing further information.