A MUM of four was left unable to sleep after fearing her home could have gone up in flames after a plug socket started smouldering.

Michaela Maidwell, 33, had switched on her tumble dryer on Monday evening, but as the appliance reached the end of its cycle, her partner said he could smell burning from the hallway, and found the main socket was smouldering.

After Miss Maidwell’s partner tried to quickly unplug the tumble dryer to prevent a fire, the plug made a loud bang, and the house’s electricity supply tripped.

The cable to the Candy Smart tumble dryer was singed, as was the socket.

Gazette: Singed – the plug had also been burned by the faulty applianceSinged – the plug had also been burned by the faulty appliance (Image: Newsquest)

Miss Maidwell’s partner, Cohen, later had to go to Colchester Hospital because he was suffering from irregular heartbeats.

Recounting the incident, Miss Maidwell, of Speedwell Road, Colchester, said she was left panicking for the rest of the night in the fear that the house would still be at risk of fire.

She said: “I was just panicking all night. I couldn’t sleep – I kept going around the house checking all the sockets because I have never known a plug to do that, ever.

“I have got kids and I’m up all night checking if they have left any sockets on – I was really shocked.

“It’s only one or two years old and it’s not as if it’s been plugged into an extension cable – it’s been plugged straight into the mains.”

Miss Maidwell’s partner has been feeling unwell ever since he intervened to stop the sockets from catching fire.

Gazette: Damaged – Miss Maidwell said the plug 'exploded' when her partner tried to take it out of the socket.Damaged – Miss Maidwell said the plug 'exploded' when her partner tried to take it out of the socket. (Image: Newsquest)

“He’s been having shocks from it and has been feeling really poorly and sleeping a lot – he went to Colchester on Tuesday night at about 9.30pm.”

Miss Maidwell, who runs her own hair and beauty business, said she would be buying a washing line before getting a new tumble dryer.

She says Argos will be sending out an engineer to look at the tumble dryer and replace it or refund her.

“Argos got back to me on Tuesday afternoon and they said they will send out an engineer to assess what happened," she said. 

“The person I spoke to said they will either refund it or swap it over because it’s still in warranty.”

An Argos spokesman said: “Safety is our highest priority and we are in contact with Michaela to support the manufacturer’s investigation.”

The Gazette contacted Candy for comment.