Washing machines with faulty safety catches which can cause fires have been recalled by their manufacturer.

Hotpoint and Indesit branded machines were recalled by Whirlpool on Tuesday.

Whirlpool said: "When the heating element in the washing machine is activated, in very rare cases a component in the door lock system can overheat, which, depending on product features, can pose a risk of fire."

Any wash above 20 degrees risks an overheat. Around one-fifth of washing machines made since 2014 are at fault, which is believed to include 500,000 units.

After the recall was announced, the product recall and machine checker page on Whirlpool's website crashed.

The company will start the recall in January, meaning many will risk fires before the new year.

Whirlpool Corporation vice president Jeff Noel told ITV: "We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern this may cause to our customers, particularly over the Christmas period.

"However, we hope people will understand that we are taking action because people's safety is our top priority.

"Preparing for a recall of this scale is a complex operation and we are working tirelessly to ensure we are ready to start offering replacements or repairs to our customers from early January."

Owners will be offered a repair to their machine or a similar replacement, both free.

Recently, they had to recall over five million tumble dryers which could cause fires.