Burning Smells, Smoke & Overheating
Burning smells, smoke, hot sockets, or signs of electrical overheating.
Burning Smell From A Socket
You can smell burning coming from a plug socket — a sign of potential electrical fire.
Burning Smell From The Fuse Box
Your consumer unit or fuse box smells of burning — this needs immediate action.
Burning Plastic Smell From Electrics
A chemical, acrid, burning plastic smell is coming from your electrics.
Socket Hot To Touch
A plug socket in your home feels hot when you touch it, even when nothing is plugged in.
Plug Gets Hot When In Use
The plug on an appliance gets hot or very warm when it is in use.
Light Switch Hot To Touch
A light switch in your home feels hot or very warm to the touch.
Scorch Marks On Socket Or Plug
Your plug or socket has brown or black scorch marks, discolouration, or signs of charring.
Plug Has Melted
A plug on one of your appliances has melted, deformed, or fused to the socket.
Smoke Coming From A Socket
You can see smoke coming from a plug socket — this is a fire emergency.
Extension Lead Getting Hot
Your extension lead cable, plug, or sockets are getting hot during use.
Related Cost Guides
Emergency Electrician Cost
An emergency electrician call-out in the UK typically costs between £100 and £350, depending on the time of day, the nature of the fault, and whether parts are needed to complete the repair.
Electrical Fault Finding Cost
Electrical fault finding in the UK typically costs between £80 and £250, covering a diagnostic visit and testing to identify the source of electrical problems such as tripping circuits, power loss, or flickering lights.
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