WATCHDOG GRENFELL ALARM
All plastic-backed fridges ‘are a fire hazard and should be banned’ says watchdog after shocking tests
EXPERTS want an “urgent” ban on the sale of plastic-backed fridges, calling them a fire hazard.
A probe of top selling models found nearly half had unsafe plastic strapped to the back.
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The current British Standard requires firdges to pass a glow wire test to assess their fire resistance, involving putting a hot wire through a sample of the fridge or freezer backing material and seeing if it catches alight.
All 500 tested by Which? pass safety standards but many were not flame-retardant as claimed.
Which? said standards were “inadequate” and in their tests, 45 per cent of models caught fire within 30 seconds of being exposed to a flame.
They also tested ones with metal and aluminium laminate back and found that none caught alight after the 30-second test, with some samples less than 1mm thick were able to withstand an open flame for a full five minutes.
The consumer watchdog has labelled 250 models “don’t buys” and recommending that customers don't buy them.
It said: “People will be outraged to learn manufacturers and retailers are selling potentially unsafe products that could put lives at risk.”
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The Business Department said the UK had some of the world’s strictest safety laws.
The Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances said fridge fires were “extremely rare."
A fridge fire is believed to have started last year’s inferno at Grenfell Tower, West London, which left 71 dead.
Which? has also slammed the current UK safety rules on cold appliances as "deficient" and "inadequate" because they allow makers to use non-flame retardant material.
Last year, the London Fire Brigade revealed how plastic-backed fridge can ignite in just 66 seconds.
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