A MAN has complained to DIY store Wickes after discovering the fridge and freezer he was sold for his new fitted kitchen are on a Which? ‘don’t buy’ list.

James Moore was getting ready to install the appliances in his Covingham home when he saw a report from Which? which urged retailers not to sell plastic-backed fridges and freezers as they pose a fire risk.

He realised to his horror that two of the makes and models listed in the report matched the ones he’d been sold by Wickes.

James said: “I’m very concerned, these were recommended to me when I bought the fitted kitchen in February last year.

“The building work took a while and just before I was going to put them in, I saw the news.

“The fridge and the freezer are still in their packaging at the moment because I don’t want to install them in case something bad happens.

“I went back to the showroom and spoke to the manager and he referred me to customer services, who said they had been tested and there were no problems with them.

“So there’s two conflicting stories here. I’m in a bit of a dilemma, I don’t know who to believe and I’m not sure what to do.”

The Zanussi ZQF11430DA freezer and Zanussi ZQA14030DA fridge were two of 250 appliances listed by Which? as ‘don’tb uys’.

The company carried out tests with stricter safety standards than the current British Standard used when testing these kitchen appliances.

Their website states: “Which? believes, based on the evidence, that non-flame retardant plastic backing material presents a safety risk due to its potential to allow an existing fire to spread... and future models should not be made in this way.

“Consumers who already own a refrigeration appliance with a non-flame-retardant plastic-back should be reassured that the likelihood of a refrigerator fire is extremely low.”

James added: “I think the report was sparked by the Grenfell Tower fire and they were asking people to recall all these types of appliances.”

A few weeks after Which?’s warning, an independent report into the cause of the London tower block fire revealed that the fridge-freezer which had often been blamed for starting the blaze was actually low-risk and didn’t need to be recalled.

The fridge and freezer that John bought don’t appear to be sold by Wickes any more.

Wickes was approached for comment in response to John’s dilemma but did not respond in time.