This double sockets is one of the most purchased sockets by non-electricians in the UK. Most of these are made in China and are being sold in the UK under various names. Their price can be very enticing at around £20 per socket, with quite futuristic aesthetics and non physical switch. We have been asked to install these on numerous occasions but unfortunately they do not meet the British standards safety regulations. In the UK houses are wired mostly in 2.5mm and 4mm Twin and earth cable with solid conductors but the terminals are neither the right size to fit 2 or more cables into single one or able to be tight enough to keep tight grip on the conductors. This is specially important as most fires are started through arcing on loosely connected conductors. Since these don’t meet safety standards its also questionable what sort of plastics were used. Plastics could very from how they burn, smoke quantity and toxicity.
In spite of their nice aesthetics it is strongly advised to stay away from these for safety reasons. Installing these could invalidate House Insurance in case of a fire and when having EICR (Electrical Installation Certificate Report) could be classified as C2 or C3 to be rectified or require additional risk assessment.
