Shock as washing machine 'explodes' next to toddler
A mother-of-three has spoken of her shock after her washing machine "exploded" as her young son played nearby.
Debbie Flint, of Brands Farm Way, Randlay, Telford, had just picked up her two-year-old son Jack, who had been playing on the kitchen floor near to the Hotpoint washing machine, when she heard a loud bang.
She found chunks of glass had been blown from the machine door. Hotpoint said an engineer would be sent to inspect the machine but it would not comment on individual cases before any inspection.
Miss Flint, 34, said: "I had the washing machine on spin and it just suddenly blew up and the glass smashed. I just heard shattering glass and I looked and there was steam coming out of it. The steam must have been building up. I had it two and half years and never had any problems with it."
She said her little boy had had a lucky escape.
"He was very lucky and and you know what kids are like, they get fascinated with things like that and sometimes he puts his face near it to watch it as kids do. Luckily it did not hit him.
"I was right by it cooking a bacon sandwich and Jack was playing near it. I picked him up because I could smell his nappy and then it blew.
"I was really shocked, it scared the life out of me and everyone I have spoken to cannot believe it as well. They have never heard anything like it.
"You never know what could have happened and I panicked so I shouted and my partner came down the stairs and my other two children came down to see what was going on."
The incident happened at about 5pm on Thursday and Miss Flint has called Hotpoint several times since to demand an engineer and an apology.
She said: "I called Hotpoint last night. I am lucky I have insurance – if it was uninsured they could not have done anything. They have said they will get an engineer out on May 5.
"I have also called their complaints department. What if Jack was playing near the washing machine? There was big chunks of glass. If he was by that it could have hit him in the eyes or the face or anything."
A spokesman for Hotpoint said "We do not comment on individual cases like that until someone has come out and seen the washing machine."
