HOMEOWNERS are being warned to check their washing machines and tumble dryers after a resident's appliance caught fire.

Firefighters were called to Nelson Street in Bury after the homeowner smelt smoke and saw sparks coming from her washing machine.

Steve Wilcock, of Bury fire station said: “These are the type of fires that have historically killed people.

“The woman had a good presence of mind though and she turned off her electricity box and then threw water on to the washing machine because she could have got a shock or made the fire worse if she hadn’t turned the box off."

The resident didn't have a working smoke alarm and was alerted to the fire from the noise and smell.

Firefighters from Bury fire station have now supplied her with an alarm and have warned others to test theirs and check their appliances.

The incident, which occurred at 1pm on Thursday, comes after a number of tumble dryers were recalled by manufacturers Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda.

Mr Wilcock added:“There have been a number of tumble dryers recalled so we would warn residents to check that their brand of washing machine or drier isn’t one of those on recall.

“We are looking in to whether this model of washing machine has been recalled.”

A number of Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda tumble dryer owners have been warned their appliances may pose a fire risk.

Two types of tumble dryers, condenser and vented dryers, manufactured by Indesit, were sold under the three brands in the UK and other countries over the last 11 years.

The firm is in the process of contacting affected consumers, who were warned not to leave their appliances unattended and to clean fluff from the filter after each use.

In "rare" cases a build-up of lint can come into contact with the dryer's heating element, which could pose a fire risk, the manufacturer explained.

Customers can check online if their appliance is among those affected by keying in the model and serial number on the Indesit website.

A safety warning on the Indesit and Hotpoint websites said: "In some rare cases, excess fluff can come into contact with the heating element and present a risk of fire."

An Indesit spokesman told ITV: "We estimate that a significant number of units will be affected, but at this stage, we cannot speculate regarding the specific figure.

"These products were marketed in the UK and a number of other countries over the past 11 years, so we would expect a fairly large number of them to be affected."

The warning came after an investigation by Whirlpool into dryers sold by Hotpoint and Indesit between April 2004 and September 2015. The US appliance giant acquired the Italian firm last year.