Worries over a potential airbag fault in Mercedes Benz cars have prompted a UK recall of 400,000 vehicles.

"Other markets " are also affected by the fault. The firm has recalled models A, B, C and E-Class, the CLA, GLA and GLC - manufactured between November 2011 and July 2017.

The German carmaker said affected vehicles were safe to drive under normal conditions, but recommended owners contact their breakdown assistance providers if they see the airbag warning light.

A spokesperson for the manufacturer said, “If the steering column module clock spring is broken, the driver airbag warning light will be displayed in the instrument cluster, as well as a red airbag warning lamp.

“In rare circumstances, if the clock spring is broken and the wiring components are not sufficiently earthed, this could lead to an electrostatic discharge which could inadvertently deploy the driver’s airbag.”

There have been no fatalities or injuries in relation to the recall.

Mercedes Benz vehicles are increasingly popular in the UK, with more than 135,000 sold in 2016, according to Statista.com.

The company will contact owners and offer to address the issue. The repair will take around an hour and will be free of charge.

The global car industry has been affected by a spate of airbag-related recalls in recent years. Last week BMW announced a recall of more than 85,000 2006-2010 X3 SUVs. The Munich-based manufacturer said only around 9% of the recalled vehicles were likely to be affected by the fault, which relates to a malfunctioning front passenger detection mat.

The fault could mean the airbag fails to deploy in the event of an accident.