More than 43,000 Toyotas in Britain have been recalled after a defect which could cause a fire was discovered.

The move involves all Yaris models built in 2006 and 2007 and is part of a global recall of 1.3m cars, reported Daily Telegraph.

Car owners are being told to take vehicles to garages after the problem was identified on a component known as a seat belt pretensioner, which locks the belt in place.

It was found that this part could heat up and set a foam insulating pad alight, running the risk of a fire in a high-speed head-on crash.

A Toyota spokesman said: “We can use chassis numbers to identify the cars involved and then trace the owners through the DVLA to ensure the right people are sent letters.”

It is unclear how long Yaris owners will have to do without their cars or whether the company will be in a position to arrange loan vehicles.

Yaris has previously been considered one of the safest cars of its type, having been awarded five stars by Euro NCAP.