White goods fires in Barnet over the past five years have cost over £6 million in damages, the London fire brigade has revealed.

Fires involving domestic products such as fridges and washing machines cost the economy an estimated £57,000 each and London Fire have attended 2,072 since January 1 2011 – almost one a day.

In a borough-by-borough breakdown released today, Barnet came second only to Croydon for number of fires, costing £6,165,936 in total with its 108 incidents.

The data has been published as part of the London Fire’s Total Recalls campaign which aims to make sure the public are better protected from potentially lethal faulty white goods.

London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore has criticised the government for not implementing these "simple actions" long ago.

He said: "Many of these fires across London could have been prevented if the Government had seen sense and done the right thing.

"These safety measures are considered necessary by the London fire brigade, Which?, Electrical Safety First, the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Local Government Association.

"Manufacturers should make publicly available the risk assessments they undertake once a fault is found in a product. 

"Clearly the Government need reminding their priority should be saving people’s lives. 

"There is no excuse for these simple actions not to have been taken long ago.

"As well as lives, these measures could potentially save millions of pounds a year and protect consumers. It’s a no-brainer."

London Fire commissioner Ron Dobson has written to every London MP urging them to back the campaign and is asking people to write to their MP to share their stories about white goods fires or concerns they have.

The publication of the figures comes after a faulty Indesit tumble dryer subject to a safety notice was the cause of a huge Shepherd's Bush tower block blaze in August this year.

Manufacturer Whirlpool still maintains that people may continue to use the faulty dryers while they are waiting for them to be modified, as long as they are not left unattended.

London Fire disagrees and is urging anyone with one of the models in question to immediately unplug the machine and stop using it.

Commissioner Dobson said: “The recent tumble dryer blaze in Shepherd’s Bush showed the devastation white goods fires can cause and now we see the huge cost of them to the public purse.

“There is a serious lack of awareness about the potential dangers posed by faulty white goods and manufacturers are lagging far behind when it comes to prioritising fire resistance in their designs.

“We want politicians and members of the public to share our campaign to make people better informed about the dangers white goods can pose in their homes.”

The Total Recalls campaign aims to create a single, publicly accessible register of product recalls, publicise recalls better to reduce confusion and change the way fridges and freezer are manufactured.