Vauxhall is to recall more of its Zafira cars due to a fire risk.

The model was first subjected to recalls three years ago, along with Corsa models.

The first reported incident of a Zafira catching fire was noted by Vauxhall in 2009, but it took until August 2015 for the carmaker to launch an investigation, after recording 161 reports of fires.

In November 2015, Vauxhall issued a recall for 200,000 Zafira B cars, and then a second recall for 234,000 cars of the same model in May 2016.

The carmaker said the fires were caused by "unauthorised repair" of the thermal fuse in the vehicle's blower resistor.

Now, a further 47,000 cars are being called in for repairs.

The affected cars were built between 2005 and 2014 and feature electronic climate control.

Vauxhall issued a statement, which said: "We will write to owners using the keeper address data from the DVLA advising them to contact a Vauxhall Retailer to arrange to have the work carried out free of charge. Letters will start to be sent out from the end of this week.

"Vauxhall Motors considers the safety of its customers very seriously. Through continual testing, we are launching a recall of some Vauxhall Zafira models to replace the heater blower motor and regulator. These are the second generation models - Zafira B - built between 2005 and 2014, that were fitted with electronic climate control (ECC). There are 47,000 such cars in the UK.”