Plug sockets not working?

You plug in the kettle and nothing happens. You try the toaster, and that's dead too. But the lights are still on. When some sockets stop working but the rest of the house has power, the cause is usually easy to find.

Step 1: check the appliance

Plug something you know works, like a phone charger, into the same socket. If that works, the problem is the appliance or the fuse in its plug, not the socket. UK plugs have a fuse inside, and you can change it.

Step 2: check the fuse box

Sockets and lights are on separate circuits. That's why the lights can work when the sockets don't.

1. Open your fuse box (consumer unit) and look for a switch that's down, in the "off" position.
2. Unplug everything on that circuit, then switch it back up.
3. Plug things back in one at a time. If the switch trips again when you plug in one appliance, that appliance is faulty.

If it trips again with nothing plugged in, leave it off and call an electrician. Our guide on an RCD or fuse that keeps tripping explains why.

Step 3: check for a spur or extension

• Some sockets, especially in kitchens, are powered through a fused spur, a switch with a small fuse in it. Check it's on, and that the fuse hasn't blown.
• If you're using an extension lead, try the socket without it.

One socket dead, the rest fine

If only one socket has stopped working and nothing has tripped, there may be a loose wire behind it. Don't take the faceplate off. Loose connections can overheat. Stop using that socket and get it checked.

Call an electrician straight away if

• a socket is scorched, cracked, buzzing, or warm to the touch
• you can smell burning (read burning smell or scorched sockets)
• sockets stopped working after water got near them

Common questions

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