The government has told a company to recall half a million tumble dryers over concerns they could cause a fire risk.
The “unprecedented” move comes just four years after Whirlpool found a fault with its Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda machines.
The government says the tumble dryers were responsible for 750 fires over 11 years.
Whirlpool was ordered to fix the machines for free but in April it was estimated around 500,000 could still be in use.
Business minister Kelly Tolhurst, who made the announcement, said: "Consumer safety is a government priority.
"I want to assure that we have kept Whirlpool's actions under review and I can tell the House we have informed Whirlpool of our intention to serve a recall notice as a next step of the regulatory process.
"This is unprecedented action."
A Whirlpool Corporation spokeswoman said that safety remains the company's "number one priority".
They said: "We remain committed to resolving any affected tumble dryers that have not yet been modified.
"To this end, we are in ongoing discussions with the Office for Product Safety and Standards to agree additional measures we have proposed to reach consumers who have not yet engaged with this safety programme.
"We have co-operated with OPSS throughout its recent review of the programme and welcome its findings that consumers whose tumble dryers have been modified can continue to use them safely."
Which Whirlpool machines are affected?
The tumble dryers which pose a risk were all made between 1 April 2004 and 30 September 2015 and were sold in the UK.
The brands include Hotpoint, Indesit, Proline, Swan and Creda.
Anyone still using one of the faulty tumble dryers is being told to call 0800 151 0905.
Anyone with an affected dryer that has not been modified has been told to unplug it and not use it until the modification has been completed.
