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Planned System Maintenance - Limited Service

Sunderland City Council will be carrying out planned system maintenance from 12 noon on Friday 5th June until 7am on Tuesday 9th June. During this period, we will only be able to respond to urgent enquiries. If your enquiry is not urgent, please contact us before or after these times when full services will be available. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

Urgent Safety Warnings

Tumble dryers

Households with specific models of integrated heat pump tumble dryers manufactured by Haier must check if their machine needs an urgent safety repair because of the risk of fire.

Affected brands include Baumatic, Candy, Caple, Haier, Hoover, Lamona, Iberna and Montpellier.

The following advice has been issued to affected users:

  • Stop using the appliance immediately and unplug it if possible
  • Check the model and serial number online using the official links below
  • Contact the manufacturer to arrange a repair

Owners should check their model number and serial number online to see if their appliance is affected before contacting the manufacturer to arrange a repair.

The appliance must not be used until the repair has been completed. If the plug is accessible, owners should switch off and unplug the appliance.

Owners must stop using affected appliances immediately. An internal short circuit can occur during normal use, causing the tumble dryer to ignite.

Check if your appliance is one of the affected machines here:

This update is based on the regular reporting that Haier has been providing to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).

Baby Sleep Pillows

Baby sleep pillows are products that are marketed or intended to be used as pillows or cushions for babies to sleep with, or to be placed in a cot, crib, or sleeping area, often when a baby is unsupervised. These products are sometimes sold online under names such as sleep positioners, baby snuggle pillows or cuddle pillows.

Why is this a concern?

The Office of Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has highlighted serious safety risks, including:

  • Suffocation
  • Overheating

These risks can result in serious injury or death, particularly when a baby is placed on a baby cuddle cushion unattended or when the product is used for sleep.

What products this safety alert applies to

OPSS has raised concerns about baby cuddle cushions marketed for babies under 12 months old.

These products do not align with NHS Safe Sleep Guidanceand can give rise to serious harm.

National action is currently being taken to assess these products and to remove those unsafe from the market.

While these products do not appear to be widely sold in typical high-street homeware stores, they remain readily available online, and residents may already have them in their homes.

Advice for purchasers of these products

We would strongly advise purchasers to:

  • Stop using the product immediately
  • Do not use it for sleep or naps, even for short periods
  • If the product was bought online, consider contacting the seller for a refund or report it to Trading Standards

Advice for businesses

Businesses selling baby sleep pillows intended for infants under 12 months should be aware that these products promote unsafe sleep practices. Where products are assessed as unsafe, they should be removed from sale.

Further Information

The full OPSS Product Safety Alert is available on GOV.UK under Product Safety Alert: Baby Sleep Pillows (PSA8)linked below:

Product Safety Alert: Baby Sleep Pillows

The Dangers of Small Magnets

It was recently reported that a 4-year-old boy died after swallowing a fridge magnet. An inquest revealed he ate a 1cm-by-1cm magnet that was on his fridge. The magnet attracted to a piece of metal it was believed he had swallowed at an earlier date. This tore a hole in his bowel, which led to acute sepsis and the heart attack that killed him.

Tragically, this isn't an isolated incident.

In 2025, a study found that around 300 UK youngsters were admitted to hospital accident and emergency departments in a single year after swallowing magnets. One in 10 required life-saving operations.

A safety alert was issued by the Office of Product Safety and Standards in 2021 warning families about small, strong magnets.

Five tips on magnets safety

Strong magnets can rip holes through your child's gut if swallowed. Here are some tips on how to keep your child safe:

  1. Avoid small, loose magnets if you have small children.
  2. Only buy magnets from reputable retailers or brand names you know.
  3. Take care if buying magnets from overseas sellers on online marketplaces - there's no way of knowing if they're safe.
  4. Teach older children to never put magnets in their mouths.
  5. If you think your child may have swallowed magnets, go straight to a hospital's accident and emergency department, or call an ambulance. Do not wait for symptoms to show, as by then, damage may have already been done.

More information and free resources can be found on the Child Accident Prevention Trust website: Magnets safety | Top tips to keep children safe