Half a million Whirlpool wachine machines urgently recalled over fire risk one week before Christmas

The firm said up to 519,000 machines sold under the Hotpoint and Indesit brands in the UK between October 2014 and February 2018 may be affected by a faulty door locking system which could cause them to overheat and potentially ignite.

It has urged owners of appliances bought since 2014 to get in touch immediately to check whether their washing machine is one of the models affected.

The company said it was working at ‘full speed’ to be able to officially begin the recall in early January.

In the meantime, it advised customers to unplug their washing machines and not use them.

Those who choose 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 washing cycles above 20C.

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

Whirlpool Corporation vice president Jeff Noel said: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause to our customers, particularly over the Christmas period, but we hope people will understand that we are taking action because people's safety is our top priority.

"Preparing for a recall of this scale is a complex operation and we are working tirelessly to ensure we are ready to start offering replacements or repairs to our customers from early January."

Consumers can check if their washing machine is affected by visiting washingmachinerecall.whirlpool.co.uk or calling Whirlpool's freephone hotline 0800 316 1442, though there have been complaints that the website is down since the recall was announced.

Whirlpool claimed the issue was identified by its safety team and said no serious injuries had been reported.

The latest recall comes after the company finally launched a full recall involving 500,000 dryers in July, following criticism for failing to act sooner in the wake of dozens of fires.