Vauxhall is to write to 220,000 Zafira owners, with dealers checking and repairing vehicles as necessary, following a series of fires due to suspected a heating part failure.

The Zafira B model was on sale between 2005 and 2014. The 'service action' affects vehicles with manual, or no, air conditioning.

A statement from the company said: "Vauxhall is carrying out an investigation following reports of fire in the area of the heating and ventilation system in a number of Vauxhall Zafiras (Zafira B model launched in 2005, not current Zafira Tourer). While the number of incidents is very low in proportion to the number of vehicles on the road, we take this issue very seriously."

Rory Harvey, chairman and MD at Vauxhall said: "We are very sorry about this situation, and safety is our key priority. We have been investigating this issue very thoroughly and with the utmost urgency."

He said: “Our investigations have found evidence of improper repair of the blower motor resistor and its thermal fuse, which is designed to protect the blower motor system.

“In addition, it should be noted that if you are the first owner of your Zafira B and your heating and ventilation system is functioning well and your car has never been subject to any repair in this area, there should be no risk of a fire starting.

“At this stage, further analysis is ongoing towards verifying the root cause of the fires.”

Customers will be invited to dealerships for a free inspection of their vehicle’s heating and ventilation system, and Vauxhall will replace any parts necessary at no cost to the customer, returning their vehicle to a safe operating condition.

The issue was first raised by BBC's Watchdog in October.

Further information is available from Vauxhall's website.