Research by the UK’s only combined lettings inventory and property compliance specialists, VeriSmart, has found that ovens, hobs and toasters pose the greatest threat in the household when it comes to fire safety and that the East Riding of Yorkshire is the nation’s most dangerous place to live when it comes to appliance accidents in the home.
VeriSmart compiled the latest Government data listing accidents attributed to fires caused by domestic appliances across the nation, to see which the biggest offender was and where was home to the highest rate of accidents.
The misuse of cookers and ovens was the largest threat, responsible for 54% of all fires caused by domestic appliances.
Oven rings accounted for 10% along with the grill and toaster, while the microwave (6.1%), and tumble dryer (4%) also made the top five.
VeriSmart also looked at the number of accidents reported in each area and ranked these based on the ratio of accidents per capita.
The East Riding of Yorkshire was home to the largest number of household appliance fires when considered in context with the local population, with 2,265 accidents reported annually across a population of 338,061.
Hereford and Worcester ranked as the second most prolific for household appliance fires, with Bristol, East Sussex, Redcar and Cleveland, Merseyside, Lancashire, Dorset and Wiltshire, Greater Manchester and Devon and Somerset also amongst some of the most dangerous households in England.
Warwickshire is the safest place to live when it comes to household accidents resulting from appliance fires.
Founder of VeriSmart, Jonathan Senior said, “It may seem pretty obvious that the appliances we use for cooking are generally the most dangerous when it comes to fire-related accidents in the home. However, these appliances aren’t designed to be dangerous and in fact, are safeguarded against it, so it shows that user error can play a huge part when remaining safe in your home.
“It is therefore prudent to ensure that a home is equipped with sufficient working smoke detectors on each floor of living space as legislation states and they must be optimally sited on ceilings central to a room and regularly tested to ensure they respond.
“For those that are worried about the dangers posed by household appliances, a move anywhere but the East Riding of Yorkshire is the way to go.”
| Top 10 – Most Dangerous Domestic Appliances (based on domestic appliance fire data) | |
| Appliance | As a percentage of total incidents |
| Cooker including oven | 53.54% |
| Ring / Hot plate (separate appliance) | 10.25% |
| Grill / Toaster | 9.70% |
| Microwave oven | 6.10% |
| Tumble dryer | 4.49% |
| Washing machine | 3.71% |
| Dishwasher | 1.65% |
| Deep fat fryer | 1.31% |
| Other cooking appliances | 1.28% |
| Fridge / Freezer | 1.26% |
| Top 10 – Most Dangerous Areas for Domestic Appliances (based on domestic appliance fire data) | ||||
| Rank | Area | Accidents | Population | Accidents per capita |
| 1 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 2265 | 338061 | 0.0067 |
| 2 | Hereford and Worcester | 1676 | 293355 | 0.0057 |
| 3 | Bristol, City of | 2416 | 459252 | 0.0053 |
| 4 | East Sussex | 2531 | 552259 | 0.0046 |
| 5 | Redcar and Cleveland | 610 | 136005 | 0.0045 |
| 6 | Merseyside (Met County) | 6063 | 1416825 | 0.0043 |
| 7 | Lancashire | 4749 | 1201855 | 0.0040 |
| 8 | Dorset and Wiltshire | 3596 | 920710 | 0.0039 |
| 9 | Greater Manchester (Met County) | 10931 | 2798799 | 0.0039 |
| 10 | Devon and Somerset | 5096 | 1342366 | 0.0038 |
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