·         More than 11,000 fire claims made in last five years have involved white goods

·         Over a quarter of these (28 per cent) were due to electrical faults

·         Half of Britain’s population admit leaving their white goods on when they’re not in the house

·         The most common white goods to cause fires are ovens, dishwashers and tumble dryers

New research¹ from Direct Line Home Insurance reveals that more than 11,000 claims relating to fire in the last five years have involved white goods in homes across the UK. This amounts to a third (31 per cent) of all house fires and equates to six fires every day or one every four hours.

Of this number, over a quarter (28 per cent, or more than 3,000 incidents) were due to faulty white goods. Averaged out at nearly twelve every week over the past five years, with ovens (23 per cent of all incidents), dishwashers (18 per cent) and tumbler dryers (15 per cent) being the appliances most likely to cause a household fire and the cause is due to them being faulty.

Table one: share of claims for fires caused by faulty white goods, 2014-2018

Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2019

Further research² revealed millions of Brits are putting themselves at risk by owning ageing appliances. Whether it be due to prioritising spending on other items or because budgets are tight, UK adults appear reluctant to update their household white goods regularly. Over four million people own ovens more than 15-years-old, nearly two million have had their microwave for more than a decade and 1.4 million have been using the same washing machine since 2004.

With ovens having an anticipated life expectancy of 16 years, this means that a significant proportion of UK’s households will need to replace their oven in the coming years to prevent it from becoming a fire hazard, particularly as it reaches the end of its lifecycle.

Table two: Ownership of older white goods and estimated life expectancies

Source: Direct Line Home Insurance 2019

As a nation heavily reliant on white goods, these appliances will have been well used. Across the UK, microwaves are known to be used 286 million times per week, ovens 256 million times and washing machines 196 million times. However, despite white goods being essential appliances in most households, only 20 per cent of the population have replaced their ancient or faulty goods in the past 12 months.

Half of Brits (26 million) admit to bad habits when it comes to using their white goods. Almost half (47 per cent) of those admit to turning on appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers before leaving the house, while 43 per cent also admit to putting them on before going to bed. This is potentially dangerous as if the appliance is faulty, there is a greater risk of fire damage if no one is home, or indeed if everyone is sleeping.

That said, many people are taking precautionary measures to reduce the risk of domestic fires. The most common action taken is cleaning the oven and its element, with 55 per cent of the public claiming to have done this in the last 12 months. This is followed by defrosting the freezer (41 per cent), cleaning the tumble dryer filter regularly (37 per cent) and ensuring sockets are not overloaded with high energy-consuming appliances (36 per cent). In light of recent product recall warnings, around 7.6 million people (15 per cent) have checked whether one of their white goods is on a list of recalled items in the past year.

Dan Simson, Head of Home Insurance at Direct Line, commented: “Households up and down the country rely heavily on these appliances to go about their day-to-day life, so it is no wonder that they are used so often. It is essential that people check they are safe to use and don’t present a fire risk.

“Ensuring appliances are registered means manufacturers can contact you in case of problems with that particular make or model. We would encourage households to replace any aging or faulty appliances promptly and take extra care around purchasing second-hand white goods. It is also good practice to keep products well maintained, whether that be regularly cleaning the oven, defrosting the freezer or cleaning the washing machine and tumble dryer filter or indeed getting them checked by an expert.

“Finally, people should always ensure their home and contents are adequately insured to avoid further trauma should the worst happen.”

- ENDS -

Notes to Editors

¹          Direct Line analysis of claims data made for domestic fires for the period January 2014 - December 2018. Analysis conducted in April 2019.  Total figures calculated based on Direct Line Group’s market share.

²        Research conducted by Opinium among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults between 17^th-20^th May 2019

For further information please contact:

Chelsey Wheeler
PR manager

Direct Line Group

Tel: 01651 832 095

Email: [email protected]

Samantha Stewart

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

[email protected]

0207 025 6497

 

Direct Line

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home, travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line.

Direct Line general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Direct Line and UK Insurance limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.

Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 3761 or visiting www.directline.com/home-cover