Washing machines, tumble dryers and fridge-freezers are responsible for more than 60 house fires every week in the United Kingdom, according to a Which? investigation. Faulty washing machines and dryers were found to be the highest risk appliances, causing more than a third of fires.

To protect your home, consider the following best practices:

• Have your electrical installation inspected by a registered electrician. This should be done when you move into your home and then once every 10 years.
• Install a residual current device in your fuse box. This device automatically switches off the electricity if there is a fault. Alternatively, you can purchase residual current devices that plug into individual wall sockets.
• Don’t overload electrical adaptors by plugging too many appliances into one socket.
• Test your smoke alarms every month. Have at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and in every bedroom.
• Register your appliances, so if the retailer needs to recall a faulty product, they can contact you more easily.