Air fryer owners have been warned they could be risking serious damage to their kitchens by making a common mistake.

New research reveals that more than half of people who own air fryers use them directly below kitchen cabinets.

As well as creating a potential fire hazard, doing this can also cause cosmetic damage to your cabinets, with 2 in 5 air fryer owners noting problems.

The research was produced by Toolstation, who are warning households of the dangers of using kettles and air fryers directly beneath kitchen cabinets.

Cara Yates, Kitchen Senior Category Manager at Toolstation, said: “Air fryers and kettles, while useful, can pose a risk to your kitchen due to the heat they generate when in use. Specifically, air fryers require ample space for proper air circulation to prevent the appliance from overheating.

“Placing them under low cabinets can damage both the air fryer and the cabinet, resulting in discolouration, warping, and even a potential fire hazard. Air fryers should be placed on an open countertop away from any walls and corners and ideally on a heat-proof mat to protect the countertop.

“Kettles also pose a risk when placed directly below cabinets, as the steam they release can cause moisture damage to cabinets over time. This excessive moisture can lead to mould growth and structural damage, reducing the lifespan of your kitchen cabinets.

“Again, to help prevent damage to overhead cabinets, consider using the kettle on a kitchen surface that has plenty of space above it. If this isn’t an option, then make sure to wipe away condensation to keep the cabinet base dry and prevent any possible mould growth.”

Air fryer owners have previously been issued a warning by Martin Lewis, to make sure that they aren't costing themselves money.

The Money Saving Expert has called for people to be careful when swapping an oven for an air fryer or microwave to save money, with the air fryer costing more to run in some instances.

Speaking on The Martin Lewis podcast, he said: “A microwave gives you consistent heat whereas an oven is warming up to full temperature and then topping it up so it isn’t running at full power the whole time.

"If you were doing a full roast dinner and you were cooking many jacket potatoes, it’s probably cheaper putting them in the oven than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave because each additional object you put in a microwave, you need to keep it on longer because a microwave just heats the individual object.

“General equation is, find the wattage of an item, then work out how many kilowatts or what fraction of a kilowatt it's using, then multiply that by 34p per hour of use.”