'Baby bottle steriliser fire could have burned down our house'

The steriliser is due to be sent back to the company so it can investigate

A mother said she could have seen her house burn down after a baby bottle steriliser apparently caught fire.

Jodie Mansfield said her boyfriend discovered the blaze, the cause of which is yet to be determined, at their home on 19 May.

The 28-year-old, from Derby, said it was the second malfunctioning Tommee Tippee steriliser they had encountered.

The company said it was "sorry to hear what Jodie and her family have experienced" and would investigate.

Jodie Mansfield said the fire had melted bottles and other items in her kitchen

Ms Mansfield, who has a six-month-old daughter, said she was in bed when her boyfriend went downstairs to make a coffee before heading to work.

He called her downstairs and she found the kitchen covered in flames.

She said the steriliser was switched off and had not been used since the previous morning.

"If it had happened any earlier we could have been trapped upstairs, or the house could have burned down," she said.

"We're lucky it wasn't a lot worse."

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service has been contacted for comment.

• Latest news and stories from the East Midlands

Ms Mansfield said another bottle steriliser had been tripping the electrics at her mother's home when used and her electrician father had identified it as the culprit.

A Facebook post she wrote warning other parents about what had happened has been shared more than 10,000 times.

Both sterilisers are due to be sent back to the company.

Jodie Mansfield said the fire could have been a lot worse if had happened during the night or while they were out

In a statement, Tommee Tippee said it was waiting to receive the sterilisers so a "full technical assessment" could be carried out.

"We're extremely sorry to hear what Jodie and her family have experienced as we know how traumatic this must have been," a spokesman said.

"At this stage there is no evidence to suggest that our steriliser was the source of this fire.

"In the meantime, we want to reassure parents that our sterilisers are tested externally for compliance to European and International Standards to certify they are safe to use."