DISHWASHER owners who have appliances made by Bosch are being warned to be vigilant following a series of fires.

It comes as a faulty dishwasher control panel has been revealed as the cause of a property fire in Dorchester.

The blaze at a kitchen in Colliton Street, broke out at around 11.30am last Thursday.

Two crews from the county town attended and three cats, named Beano, Sampson and Tia, were saved.

Station Manager Andy Fox said: “Following the investigation into this fire, it has come to light that this dishwasher was subject to a recall notice.

“I believe the fire started in the control panel of the dishwasher and spread to the kitchen worktop."

He added: “The dishwasher in question, a Bosch, currently has a recall notice on it.

“We attended a similar fire involving a faulty Bosch dishwasher last August in Oakdale, Poole.

“On that occasion the fire was caused by a faulty component in the Bosch appliance – which the manufacturers had recalled, sending fault notice letters to all owners who they had on their files.

“I would strongly advise anyone with a Bosch dishwasher to contact the company immediately in order to prevent any more of these fires occurring.”

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service would also like to remind residents that working smoke alarms could 'easily the difference between life and death.'