Which? response to BEIS select committee report on Whirlpool

Caroline Normand, Which? Director of Advocacy, said:

“Whirlpool’s handling of its fire-risk tumble dryers is a national scandal that has gone on for far too long. Despite consumers, safety campaigners and now the BEIS committee all expressing serious concerns about the ‘fix’ for these machines, there is still no end in sight to the crisis.

“It is unforgivable that because of our broken product safety system it took four years to force Whirlpool into a recall, so we need to see swift changes to stop corporations getting away with putting their reputations ahead of public safety. The government must also urgently establish whether the modification programme for the affected machines is safe.

“The UK needs a new independent product safety regulator that is properly equipped to hold companies to account over dangerous products and ensure people’s lives are not put at risk. The next government must act.”

Statement