Electrical checks causing a shock (From Gazette Series)

Electrical checks causing a shock

SIR - I could not believe the shock I got while reading this on the Stroud Council website.

"Stroud District Council is warning would-be DIY electricians that with effect from 1st January, all home electrical work needs to go through proper channels.

"Any electrical work in 'special' locations, such as kitchens, bathrooms and the garden needs to be notified to a building control body, usually the council".

"Minor works elsewhere, such as additional sockets or replacement lights can still be DIY, but will need checking by a competent contractor who then issues a Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate."

I recently replaced a socket, due to a heavy item falling onto it and cracking it in the kitchen. Under the new rules, I would have needed to contact the council to advise them I would be changing the socket before I started, so they could send an electrician around to check my work.

I cannot stress enough though that if you don't know what you are doing, you should in no way attempt to fix the problem. But for the majority of us who do know what we are doing, and have managed to survive this long without killing ourselves it just seems like another fantastic opportunity to waste a lot of time and money.

Perhaps we should expand this way of thinking to other jobs in life...

Someone to watch over us when we fill the car up with dangerous petrol... Someone to check the bath water isn't too hot... Barry Kirley Bull Pitch Dursley