A significant number of large air-vented dryers and condensing dryers largely used in British homes may pose a fire risk. Major appliance brands Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda issued a recall of their products as a precautionary measure.

Indesit, one of the leading appliance manufacturers in the United Kingdom, was taken over by Whirlpool in 2014 along with Hotpoint. Millions of households were warned that two types of machines — the condensing dryer and the large air vented dryer — under the three major brands could pose a serious fire risk.

A spokesperson from Indesit said that a significant number of affected units is expected, since the products were sold in the U.K. and other countries for 11 years now from April 2004 to October 2015. However, there is still no specific figure as to exactly how many dryers are affected. 

After being acquired by Whirlpool, Indesit closely reviewed the safety of their products and found out that two types of dryers are potentially hazardous. A safety investigation revealed that accumulated fluff or lint in the dryers' filter, which is close to the heating element, could cause fire when they come in contact with each other.

According to Indesit, it has started conducting a service call where owners of affected appliances are being contacted and informed that their machines can be repaired at their homes and for free. The recall entails repair of all affected machines and an upgrade program to ensure these dryers would not pose fire risks in the future.

"We are activating an extensive consumer outreach and service action plan in order to provide our consumers with products that are updated to higher safety and quality standards. We will arrange a visit from an engineer, free of charge, to modify your appliance," Indesit said, adding that the service call will last for about an hour.

The company further advises that people can still use the machines in the mean time, but leaving the dryer unattended is discouraged. It also recommends users to clean out filters and follow the instructions in their user manuals. Users should not leave the dryers running overnight and should remove any fluff or lint in the filters to prevent it from catching fire.

Meanwhile, other customers can visit Indesit's safety website to confirm if any of their appliances under the three brands is among the affected units.