Big six energy supplier British Gas says engineers have identified more than 26,000 unsafe appliances in customer homes while conducting routine safety checks during H1 2019.
The Centrica-owned retailer said workers installing energy meters detected unsafe appliances in one in 20 homes visited– with the most common faults found in boilers and old cookers.
One customer was even found to have had a cooker that was leaking “dangerous levels” of carbon monoxide when an engineer visited to install a smart meter.
The research found that 63 per cent of respondents admitted they had used an appliance despite it being faulty, and 8 per cent said a fire had started in their home because of a broken appliance.
Furthermore 9 per cent said they would “probably still use” an appliance if they saw it spark.
Additional statistics include:
- 22 per cent are dealing with broken washing machines or driers
- 19 per cent have a broken laptop
- 25 per cent revealed their lighting is badly wired
- Only 28 per cent of people know when their appliances were last tested or the age of the wiring in their home
- Only 46 per cent have taught their children how to use an appliance safely
Lauren Vazquez, engineer and safety expert for British Gas, said: “British Gas engineers are in homes around the country and we’ll check your electricity is safely wired around your home and test all gas appliances to make sure they are safe. We’re regularly visiting customers who haven’t had their electrical wiring or gas appliances checked in 10-20 years which is a concern.
“We all have so many gadgets in the house nowadays that it can be difficult to keep on top of them all, but it’s important to keep an eye on whether they’re working as they should. Some of the unsafe appliances we’ve come across could have had a devastating effect on our customers’ health and safety, had we not identified them.”