SANYO HAS RECALLED certain microwave ovens after it emerged that they may cause severe electric shock to the user.

The company announced that the ovens were sold in Ireland and the UK.

It said they may cause the severe shock during operation “due to some of the printed circuit boards within the internal control panel having electrical contact with the small buttons on the external control panel”.

It is asking people who own the affected models to stop using them immediately and unplug the power cord.

It is also issuing a recall for all affected products and expressing its sincere apologies.

The affected models are the EM-C8787B UK2, which is black in colour, and the EM-C8787W which is white in colour.

They were sold from March 2010 to the first half of January 2012 and in total 8,156 of these microwaves have been sold.

The model number and serial number can be found on a sticker on the rear of the microwave.

The affected serial numbers are:

• 1002UKM00617 A to 01128A
• 1004UKM00001A to 00512A
• 1004UKM01129A to 01640A
• 1008UKM00001A to 01024A
• 1008UKM01641A to 02152A
• 1011UKM00001A to 00257A
• 1011UKM05771A to 06537A
• 1012UKM00001A to 01024A
• 1104AUM01241A to 01752A
• 1105UKM00617A to 01640A
• 1107UKM00001A to 01024A
• 1109UKM00001A to 00512A

SANYO asks owners of the affected models to phone its customer contact centre on 08009230019 between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

Read: Company says fridge freezer is “fire hazard”>