Cordless kettle cleared from shelves

A cordless kettle has been removed from stores across the country following concerns raised by a Black Country family whose kitchen was damaged when their appliance burst into flames.

Manufacturers have discovered that the £40 Prestige Deco 423 1.5L Cordless Dome Kettle has a defective heating element.

The fault came to their attention after David Cund had problems with two kettles he bought from Walsall's Debenhams store.

Mr Cund, aged 62, bought his first kettle last November, but he had to take it back after it suddenly stopped working. The replacement appliance caught fire on January 8 this year damaging his new kitchen worktop.

In a statement Prestige said: "Trading Standards have been notified and retailers have been asked to remove affected stock from their shelves.

"Product recall notices have also been placed in newspapers, encouraging owners of affected Deco 1.5L Cordless Dome Kettles to stop using them and contact the Prestige helpline for information on free-of-charge returns and replacement.

"Prestige would like to reassure consumers that no injuries have been reported in relation to this isolated fault, and that no other kettles or product lines from the Prestige brand are affected.

"The company is working closely with the manufacturer to ensure all products - including the replacement batches of Deco 1.5L Cordless Dome Kettles - are produced to Prestige's hallmark standards of safety and quality."Debenhams cleared the kettles from its shelves two months ago, following the incident.

Mr Cund, of Chester Road, Shire Oak, said: "I'm glad they have removed them off shelves. It's no good having faulty kettles. We are still waiting for Debenhams' insurers to visit us."

Prestige bosses, based in Wirral, said they would co-operate fully with the investigation which has been launched by Trading Standards officers at Walsall Council.

The affected models have code numbers 1206 to 1107 and were manufactured between December 2006 and November 2007.