FIRE chiefs have warned residents about a type of dishwasher after one was found to have been the cause of a house blaze in Dorchester.

Firefighters saved three cats after being sent to a property blaze in Colliton Street last Thursday when the householder was alerted by a smoke alarm.

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.

“The fire started in the control panel of the dishwasher and then spread to the kitchen worktop.”

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

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

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

Mr Fox said that if the Dorchester fire had happened in the middle of the night it could have been ‘much more serious’.