BMW has recalled 1.3m 5 Series and 6 Series cars amid fears they could catch fire. The recall affects 109,000 cars in the UK, and is because of a faulty battery cable cover, which could cause a fire.There’s very little chance of that happening – very little – but the risk was deemed serious enough to warrant an enormous recall.

The battery cable cover has been incorrectly fitted on cars built between March 2003 and September 2010, says BMW – meaning this recall affects last generation versions of both the 5 and 6, and not today’s cars.

A BMW statement said: “In rare cases [the issue] could result in owners not being able to start their vehicle. In extremely rare cases the electrical system could malfunction leading to a scorching of the boot floor and a fire may result.”

The company has confirmed that no injuries have been reported as a result of the problem, and it will write to all affected owners to arrange a fix, which should take around half an hour.