Family sue over £1m house fire

The family blames a faulty washing machine for the fire

Hoover and electrical retailer Currys are being sued for £1m by a family who claim a faulty washing machine led to the destruction of their 17th Century cottage.

Insurance underwriter Quinten Lovis, 52, and his wife Michelle, 51, say they lost most of their art and antique collection in a fire three years ago.

Their home at Aldham, near Colchester, Essex, was gutted and they were forced to live in alternative accommodation for 18 months while the house was rebuilt.

The couple and their elder son Seth Lovis, a solicitor, have issued a writ in the High Court claiming more than £500,000 for damage to the house, £400,000 for damage to its contents and £33,000 in professional fees after blaming the fire on a faulty washing machine.

Post-traumatic stress

They are taking the action against Hoover, who made the machine and Currys, who sold it to the Lovis' at their Colchester branch in January 1997.

The writ goes on to say that Mr Lovis suffered post-traumatic stress disorder for a year after the fire, along with his youngest son Alexander, while his wife suffered acute stress disorder.

Mr Lovis and his wife were woken by smoke in the early hours of 24 February 1999 and Mr Lovis braved the heat and smoke to alert his teenage son before rescuing valuable paintings and antiques from the burning house.

However, many personal items and pieces of furniture were lost or damaged by the flames.

Fire investigators discovered that the fire had started in the laundry room of the house and say it was sparked by a faulty programmer in the washing machine.

The machine, which cost more than £400, was discontinued last year.

Hoover and Currys have refused to comment on the action.