Bunnings has issued an urgent recall for a popular heater over fears a malfunction could cause serious injury or death.

The retail giant issued a nationwide recall for the 2000W Mill Electrical Convection Panel Heater over concerns a supply cord is inadequately anchored and may become detached from the unit.

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This could result in electric shock or a risk of fire, causing serious injury or death.

The affected units are branded Mill and identified by:

Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the product and unplug it from the power point.

You can return the product to any Bunnings store for a full refund.

It comes as more and more Australians are relying on electric heaters during a cold and wet winter.

Research by Better Renting found 70 per cent of the time homes were below 18C - which is the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended “safe temperature”.

A CHOICE review of 15 different electric heaters in June found that six were not up to standards.

Three of these were convection heaters, and one of those was made by Mill.

The other two convection heaters that failed the safety testing were made by Click and Noirot, along with two different ceramic tower fan heaters from Goldair and one from DeLonghi.

CHOICE’s safety testing included a “tilt stability test” to see how easily each product can be knocked over and, when they are, how quickly their tilt switches or thermal cut-out features kick in.

Testers also draped towels over the heaters to see whether it causes damage to either the fabric, or the heaters themselves, and tested power cords and surface temperatures.

The results were a timely reminder that heaters can be hazardous, and Australians should be careful to buy a good model and operate them safely.

“It’s also worth being wary of particularly cheap heaters,” CHOICE heating expert Chris Barnes said.

The consumer group strongly recommended buying a heater with a timer and an automatic shut-off, so users didn’t accidentally leave them on overnight, or when they were not home.

CHOICE referred each of the failed heaters to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which works with manufacturers to determine whether products should be recalled.

For further information, please contact Mill parent company Arlec Australia Pty Ltd by phone on 03 9982 5111 or email custservice@arlec.com.au

See www.productsafety.gov.au for Australian product recall information

Ailish Delaney / Health & Wellbeing

Ailish Delaney / Health & Wellbeing