“IT was like a bomb had gone off.”

That was the description used by a Hatfield woman, whose family luckily escaped injury when her washing machine exploded.

Clare Knight thought a car had driven through her three-storey house as she heard the “massive explosion” of the Indesit appliance, which wrecked her kitchen.

The mum-of-two told the Welwyn Hatfield Times how she and her daughters, Clarissa Martin, 12, and Macy Parker, five, were lucky not to be harmed.

“I was upstairs watching TV and we heard a massive explosion, it was like a bomb had gone off.

“It was madness, all the lights tripped out and we were left in darkness,” she added.

“It could have killed my dog, Excalibur. He was near it at the time and he was clearly in shock for the rest of the night, he didn’t move. I really did think he was going to die.

“Just minutes before Clarissa was in the kitchen and if it had gone off then God knows what would’ve happened.

“It really did scare the girls, who were woken up by the noise.”

The blast from the washing machine, which was bought 18 months ago, caused tiles to come off the wall and drawers to become unhinged.

It also wrecked the work surface above it and ruined clothes which were in the wash at the time.

Parts of the appliance were found in the next room.

Clare, 31, said: “A worker who came round to inspect the damage said he had never seen anything like it before. I just want other people to know to be careful.”

The Link Close resident says she has since been offered compensation, in the form of a new kitchen, but is unsure whether to take the company up on its offer.

“I’m scared the same might happen again,” she added.

Indesit is a leading appliance manufacturer in Europe, which owns Hotpoint-Ariston.

A spokeswoman said: “We are currently investigating the incident and are therefore unable to comment further or speculate on the cause until the product has been inspected. In the meantime, we are in contact with Mrs Knight and are working closely to settle the matter to the customer’s satisfaction as quickly as possible.”