The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) intervened in November 2022 to make sure more than 66,000 Belling, New World and Stoves gas cookers were updated because of a carbon monoxide risk1. The cookers were produced by Glen Dimplex Home Appliances and produced dangerous levels of carbon monoxide when used with the grill door closed, which the OPSS described as posing serious health risks1.
The action was reported alongside a later OPSS investigation into gas hobs, which led 11 gas hob manufacturers to commit to corrective action on some of their models1. The OPSS identified that the hob risks were caused by faulty elbow joints, a piece of pipework used to connect certain models of gas hob to the gas supply1. The nine UK gas hob manufacturers involved began a modification programme for certain products, with in-home visits to address affected hobs1. Brands named in the hob action include Belling, Cooke and Lewis, Cata/Culina, Caple, Comfee, Cookology, Electriq, Kitchenplus, Russell Hobbs, Statesman and Swan1.
The OPSS also flagged that caravan, leisure home or motorhome owners using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) should check their appliances as a matter of urgency, because the risk is much higher in mobile premises, and that anyone who finds an affected gas hob should disconnect it from the LPG cylinder immediately1. The review into defective gas hobs was triggered by a number of incidents, including an explosion at Eckington Riverside Caravan Park in Pershore earlier in 2023 in which a person suffered serious burns1.
Graham Russell, chief executive of the OPSS, said:
"The manufacturers have agreed to undertake this corrective action programme following the OPSS investigation; now we will monitor their actions to ensure they make swift progress in making these gas hobs safe for householders and holidaymakers across the UK."
The affected hob brands and their contact numbers, as listed, are:
| Brand | Manufacturer | Freephone |
|---|---|---|
| Belling | Glen Dimplex Home Appliances Ltd | 0800 041 8831 |
| Cooke and Lewis | Kingfisher International Products Limited (through B&Q) | 0800 041 8821 |
| Cata/Culina | Apelson Appliances UK Ltd/Global Asian Appliances HK Ltd | 0800 041 8839 |
| Caple | Maurice Lay Distributors Ltd | 0800 041 8842 |
| Comfee | Midea Home Appliances UK Ltd | 0800 046 5361 |
| Cookology | The Wright Buy Ltd | 0800 208 1027 |
| Electriq | Buy it Direct Ltd | 0800 041 8843 |
| Kitchenplus | Munro Importers Ltd/Stax Trade Centres Ltd | 0800 046 5373 |
| Russell Hobbs | Product Care Trading Ltd | 0800 046 5396 |
| Statesman | Lancaster Holdings Ltd | 0800 041 8841 |
| Swan | Shop Direct Home Shopping | 0800 208 1029 |
Why it matters for households
A gas cooker or hob sits on the pipework that brings fuel into the home, so a fault at the connection point is a fault at the boundary between the property and the gas supply. Carbon monoxide from a cooker used with the grill door closed is invisible and odourless, and the OPSS linked the hob fault to risks of poisoning, burns, fires and explosions1. For a household, the practical effect is that a model covered by either action may need a modification carried out in the home rather than a simple return, and that the appliance cannot be treated as safe until that work is done. Homes that run on LPG, including caravans, leisure homes and motorhomes, carry a higher risk according to the OPSS1. The wider context is product regulation and marking: appliances placed on the UK market are meant to meet standards set out under the product standards and markings framework, and the OPSS is the body that enforces them under the UK's regulation and policy arrangements.
What happens next
The OPSS said it will monitor the manufacturers' actions to ensure swift progress in making the gas hobs safe1. The companies will conduct in-home visits to address affected hobs1. No completion date for either the cooker updates or the hob modification programme has been reported.