Electrical giant Whirlpool has been slammed by angry MPs over its handling of the tumble dryer safety scandal.
A Commons Business Committee report blasts the firm’s slow response over flaws that have caused at least 750 fires since 2004, including one that killed two men in North Wales.
They say it is “astonishing” that 800,000 at-risk dryers are still in homes four years after flaws were revealed.
Chairwoman Rachel Reeves said the firm’s actions “often owed more to PR management than to taking practical steps to make its machines safe”.
She called for a new independent watchdog with more teeth.
Affected brands include Hotpoint, Indesit, Creda, Swan and Proline.
The report says the use of non-disclosure agreements to “silence” customers over fires is “disgraceful”.
Jeff Noel of Whirlpool said safety was the top priority and a product recall, which began only this year, had achieved “five times the average success rate”.
