Whirlpool has been criticised for not taking action sooner after it upgraded its warning to consumers with faulty dryers.

The company warned consumers with faulty Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda dryers to unplug the potentially dangerous machines until they have been repaired, but the safety advice has been described as "long overdue".

Whirlpool updated the advice on its website after receiving enforcement notices from Peterborough Trading Standards (PTS), which has been dealing with the alert involving a reported 5.3 million dryers as Whirlpool's UK head office is in Peterborough.

The move follows consumer group Which? formally requesting a judicial review of PTS in December over its handling of the alert.

Fire chiefs warned in October that owners of the faulty dryers must stop using them immediately, after one of the machines was found to be the cause of a huge blaze in an 18-storey tower block in Shepherd's Bush in London.

London Fire Brigade said they believed a faulty Indesit dryer was the cause of the August 19 blaze, following a "painstaking" investigation.

However Whirlpool did not issue a product recall and stuck to urging those who own one of the affected dryers to register for a free modification, advising that the machines were safe to use providing they were not left unattended.

Various dryers made by Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda between April 2004 and September 2015 are subject to a safety notice about the fire risk, which is caused by excess fluff coming into contact with the heating element.

The Whirlpool website now says: "Trading standards confirmed, following an internal review by independent experts, that the modification programme remains the most effective way of resolving this issue.

"As a result, we will continue with our efforts to provide consumers with a free of charge modification as quickly as possible. The modification programme will continue.

"Trading standards have also notified us that updated usage advice should be communicated to affected consumers.

"If your tumble dryer is affected by this issue then you should unplug it and do not use it until the modification has taken place."

The company said in a statement: "Trading standards have now notified us that updated usage advice should be communicated to consumers and we are implementing this.

"Trading standards have confirmed that our actions to date in this campaign have been undertaken diligently and responsibly."

Jill Paterson, a partner in the consumer law and product safety team at Leigh Day, who acts for some of the families affected by the Shepherd's Bush fire, said: "This advice from Whirlpool is long overdue.

"There should have been more urgent action taken to protect consumers. It should not have taken enforcement action by Trading Standards for this to happen.

"Manufacturers have a responsibility to their customers and consumers have a right to expect that what they are buying is safe and will not cause damage or injury."

The charity Electrical Safety First said: "We welcome Whirlpool's updated advice to consumers, although we would like to have seen this advice issued sooner.

"Since this safety notice was issued in November 2015, we have emphasised the importance of not using an affected machine due to the fire risk."

Councillor Simon Blackburn, chairman of the Local Government Association's safer and stronger communities board, said: "While this change in advice is sensible, it should have been issued far sooner, as this would have lowered the risk of affected tumble dryers catching fire and ultimately, putting people's lives in serious danger.

"It is a shame that it has taken enforcement notices from Trading Standards, pressure from a consumer group and lobbying from the LGA to change the advice which now advises owners of potentially dangerous machines to unplug and stop using them until they are repaired."

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