The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) responded on 7 October 2026 to a prevention of future deaths report from Coroner Martin Fleming concerning the Hoover DX C10DCER-80 condenser tumble dryer, which an inquest found was "more likely than not" the source of a house fire in West Yorkshire on 8 June 2025 in which Sohaib Ahmed, 38, and his nine-year-old daughter Manahal died1. The OPSS said it remains fully committed to establishing the full extent of any risks associated with condenser and vented tumble dryers and to taking whatever regulatory action is necessary1.
The inquest found that "the specific mechanism and circumstances of the ignition ... remained undetermined and unclear"1. Coroner Fleming called on Haier, Hoover's parent company, to consider investigating the model and alleged similar incidents "with a view to identifying any recurrent failure modes, alteration to the design, issue of technical service bulletins or a recall or safety campaign", and said: "Of concern is that 1.6m of current Hoover & Candy branded condenser or vented tumble dryers may share this model's characteristics."1
Haier said it had reviewed the dryer and found "no elevated safety risk" and "no systemic safety issue[s]" across its wider range of condenser tumble dryers1. It said the model has not been in active production since the start of 2022, so it concluded it would not be "appropriate" to halt sales completely, and that the model has not been subject to a safety campaign and there is no guidance to stop selling it1. The OPSS told Which? it "is investigating the company's compliance with product safety regulations, including evidence relating to this and other tumble dryer models"1.
"Our thoughts are with the family of Sohaib Ahmed and Manahal Ahmed following this tragic incident. We expect Haier UK to establish the root cause of this fire and ensure the safety of the products it has placed on the UK market. We will continue to hold the company to account."
No recall or stop-use notice for the DX C10DCER-80 has been identified1. In December 2025 the OPSS issued a safety notice after several machines on Haier's production line were found to be at risk of an internal short circuit during use; the manufacturers affected (Baumatic, Candy, Caple, Haier, Hoover, Iberna, Lamona and Montpellier) began a modification programme and said they would visit every home to make products safe, a second attempt after the first was halted by the OPSS1. The DX C10DCER-80 was not among the models recalled earlier this year1.
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Hoover DX C10DCER-80 condenser tumble dryer |
| Inquest finding | Fire "more likely than not" caused by the dryer; ignition mechanism undetermined1 |
| OPSS response date | 7 October 20261 |
| Recall or stop-use notice | None identified for this model1 |
| Production | Not in active production since the start of 2022, according to Haier1 |
| Dryers possibly sharing characteristics | 1.6m Hoover & Candy branded condenser or vented models, per the coroner1 |
Why it matters for households
Households with a condenser or vented tumble dryer, and in particular owners of the DX C10DCER-80, are affected. The exact fault in the model is not yet known1. Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which?, said it is "safest to avoid using it if possible until more information is available" and that owners should monitor the OPSS website for updates1. Haier said anyone with questions about their tumble dryer can contact its customer service team on 0808 178 0516 or at product.safety@haier-europe.com1. Which? said it could not see any DX C10DCER-80 models available from online retailers, but that Haier cannot guarantee the model will not be listed on reseller sites such as eBay1. General guidance on using appliances overnight is set out in the guide to leaving a tumble dryer or dishwasher on overnight, and fire prevention in the kitchen fires guide; the home emergencies hub covers wider household incidents.
What happens next
The OPSS investigation into Haier's compliance with product safety regulations is under way, and the regulator said it will continue to hold the company to account1. No recall or stop-use notice for the DX C10DCER-80 had been identified at the time of the report1.
