Product safety standards will be tightened across the UK in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, which is believed to have been sparked by a faulty fridge.

A new government Office for Product Safety and Standards was announced on Sunday (January 21) and will strengthen the UK's safety regime and help protect consumers.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) welcomed the creation of the new office.

It began pressuring the government to better publicise product recalls after 71 people died in the Grenfell Tower blaze on June 14 last year.

According to LFB figures, nearly one fire a day in London is caused by home appliances such as fridges and tumble dryers.

The devastating fire at Grenfell Tower is believed to have been sparked by a faulty fridge

It wants the government to create a product recall database so consumers can easily check if they own potentially dangerous goods.

Charlie Pugsley, LFB deputy assistant commissioner, said: “I won’t be able to rest until I know that people can easily check whether or not they have a potentially deadly appliance in their home.

"We welcome the establishment of the new Office for Product Safety and Standards but their first act should be to establish a single government backed product recall database to make it easier for people to check whether they are using a faulty appliance.

What is left of a family's home in the ill-fated tower block

“We don’t even know how many defective white goods there are in use in homes across the UK but we do know there are at least a million Whirlpool tumble dryers with an identifiable defect that has caused over 750 fires in the UK."

The Office for Product Safety and Standards will work with the British Standards Institution to provide guidance on product recalls and corrective action and ensure better product safety across the UK.

Business Minister, Andrew Griffiths, said: "The new Office for Product Safety and Standards will strengthen the UK’s already tough product safety regime and will allow consumers to continue to buy secure in the knowledge there is an effective system in place if products need to be repaired or replaced."

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