HOTPOINT is recalling hundreds of thousands of dishwashers after an electrical fault caused a number of the appliances to catch fire.

The company said there had been 18 incidents ­involving the faulty dishwashers, which were sold under the Hotpoint and Indesit brands and made predominantly between 2008 and 2010.

Customers who have registered their machines will receive a letter from the manufacturers explaining how to check if their dishwasher is being recalled.

The company is urging customers to get in contact to arrange a visit by an ­engineer if the machine carries the model number FDW70, FDW75, FDW80 or FDW85A with a serial number between S/N 50401 and S/N 80531.

The new recall is separate from that announced in May affecting 283,000 Hotpoint dishwashers made between 1999 and 2005.

The company said: "As the leading white goods manufacturer, Indesit Company continually monitors the specification and performance of its products.

"We have identified that there is a low risk that a component fitted to a limited number of Hotpoint and Indesit dishwashers manufactured predominantly between January 2008 and July 2010 sold in the UK that may cause overheating and are in rare cases a potential fire hazard."