Washing machines are the biggest cause of fires in the home sparked by faulty appliances.

There were almost 12,000 fires due to faulty, incorrectly installed or poorly maintained electrial household appliances in just over three years, figures released under Freedom of Information laws reveal.

Government records obtained by consumer group Which? show that 1,723 washing machines burst in to flames between January 2011 and March 2014.

They were followed by 1,456 domestic fires caused by tumble dryers, 1,324 by dishwashers, 1,080 by cookers and 861 by fridge/freezers.

Tim Kent, who lives on a canal barge in London, saw smoke billowing out of his washer-dryer because of a faulty circuit board.

He said: “It happened without any warning. There was a smell of smoke and smoke pouring out from behind the machine,” he said.

“Luckily I was at home at the time. The entire inside of the boat is wood and very flamable.”

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which? , has called on consumers to register their appliances so they can be notified if faulty models are recalled.

Mr Lloyd said: “It’s shocking that some everyday household appliances can pose such a danger - washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers are often the appliances we leave on overnight or as we leave our house.

“More needs to be done to protect consumers from this risk and it’s crucial that products known to be dangerous are recalled as quickly as possible.”

Government advice warns against leaving electrical appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers on overnight.

The top 10 home appliances most likely to catch fire are:

  1. Washing machines
  2. Tumble dryers
  3. Dishwashers
  4. Cookers
  5. Fridge-freezer/Fridge/Freezer
  6. Central heating
  7. Microwave
  8. Toaster/grill
  9. TV
  10. Electric blanket