Japan's leading toilet manufacturer is offering free repairs to 180,000 toilets after some of them caught fire.
There have been three incidents of the electric bidet accessory in Toto's Z series catching fire, reports the BBC.
"Fortunately nobody was using the toilets when the fire broke out and there were no injuries," a company spokesman said.
"The fire would have been just under your buttocks," she added.
Toto is a pioneer of high-tech toilets with built-in bidets, which are popular in Japan.
The Z series features a pulsating massage spray, a power dryer, a "tornado wash" flush, and a lid that opens and closes automatically.
It is not sold outside Japan.
The offending toilets were all manufactured between May 1996 and December 2001.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Truck driver's sausage mistake
A German truck driver burned his truck after deciding to cook himself some sausages while driving.
Walter Reckling, 46, had a small gas cooker that he used when he would stop to cook and eat a meal but decided to use it while he was driving as he was late with a delivery.
He was cooking two sausages while travelling past Niederwuerschnitz in Saxony, Germany, when the cooker fell over.
It set fire to the seat which then set fire to the truck.
Reckling went to the hospital where he was also tested and found to be drunk.
Walter Reckling, 46, had a small gas cooker that he used when he would stop to cook and eat a meal but decided to use it while he was driving as he was late with a delivery.
He was cooking two sausages while travelling past Niederwuerschnitz in Saxony, Germany, when the cooker fell over.
It set fire to the seat which then set fire to the truck.
Reckling went to the hospital where he was also tested and found to be drunk.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Man collects wrong 'granddaughter'
Teachers at a Belgian nursery school panicked after a man came to pick up his granddaughter but got the wrong girl.
When the parents of two-year-old Marie arrived to pick her up they were told she had already been collected by her grandfather.
Teachers at Don Bosco school in Huy immediately called the police who organised a search, reports the Antwerp Gazette.
While they were still searching, police received a call from Fernand Etienne, 60, to say his wife had told him the little girl he had collected was not their granddaughter.
"I'm still surprised," he explained later. "The little girl has the same looks as my granddaughter - same age, blonde hair. And her name is Marie like our granddaughter.
"I had no reason to suspect it was another girl since the teacher had called her for me."
Mr Etienne realised something was wrong when the little girl started crying in the car and he couldn't calm her down.
He called his daughter, Marie's mother, who spoke to the girl by phone and calmed her down - without realising she wasn't speaking to her own daughter.
Finally, the grandmother solved the mystery and Mr Etienne hurried back to school to collect his real granddaughter and return the other Marie to her parents.
When the parents of two-year-old Marie arrived to pick her up they were told she had already been collected by her grandfather.
Teachers at Don Bosco school in Huy immediately called the police who organised a search, reports the Antwerp Gazette.
While they were still searching, police received a call from Fernand Etienne, 60, to say his wife had told him the little girl he had collected was not their granddaughter.
"I'm still surprised," he explained later. "The little girl has the same looks as my granddaughter - same age, blonde hair. And her name is Marie like our granddaughter.
"I had no reason to suspect it was another girl since the teacher had called her for me."
Mr Etienne realised something was wrong when the little girl started crying in the car and he couldn't calm her down.
He called his daughter, Marie's mother, who spoke to the girl by phone and calmed her down - without realising she wasn't speaking to her own daughter.
Finally, the grandmother solved the mystery and Mr Etienne hurried back to school to collect his real granddaughter and return the other Marie to her parents.
Monday, May 7, 2007
New plumber 'burns down $10 million mansion'
A new plumber is believed to have burnt down a $10 million seaside mansion on his first day at work.
More than 60 firefighters were called to the fire when the accident happened.
The expensive home is owned by Andrew Brownsword - famous for his business with greeting cards.
Workers at the place wanted to keep the name of their plumber colleague a secret. But neighbors think the fire was accidentally started by a 17-year-old new plumber.
John Howes, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said the plumber was working for a plumbing company and was "very upset".
He said: "It seems that this was an unlucky plumber who was working in the roof space of a large building."
One neighbour said: "I heard it was started by a teenager on his first day. You have to feel sorry for the poor boy. He must feel terrible."
More than 60 firefighters were called to the fire when the accident happened.
The expensive home is owned by Andrew Brownsword - famous for his business with greeting cards.
Workers at the place wanted to keep the name of their plumber colleague a secret. But neighbors think the fire was accidentally started by a 17-year-old new plumber.
John Howes, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said the plumber was working for a plumbing company and was "very upset".
He said: "It seems that this was an unlucky plumber who was working in the roof space of a large building."
One neighbour said: "I heard it was started by a teenager on his first day. You have to feel sorry for the poor boy. He must feel terrible."
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