An electrical emergency is a fault that puts someone at immediate risk of fire, electric shock or injury, or one you cannot make safe by switching it off. The signs that usually put a problem in that category are heat, smoke, a burning or fishy smell, visible sparking or scorching, exposed wiring, and anyone receiving a shock. Plenty of electrical problems are inconvenient without being dangerous, and those can normally wait for a standard appointment.
The difficulty is that the dangerous faults and the harmless ones can start with the same symptom. A light going off might be a blown bulb or a burnt-out connection. A tripping circuit might be a faulty kettle or damaged cable. What separates them is usually what comes with the symptom, so this guide looks at the signs in context.
Three levels of urgency
It helps to sort electrical problems into three groups before deciding who to call.
Call 999
Fire or smoke from anything electrical, or a person who has had an electric shock and is unconscious, burnt, confused or unwell. Get people away from the fire, do not use water on anything electrical, and let the emergency services take over. An electrician is the follow-up, not the first call.
Make it safe, then call an emergency electrician
A fault that is still a risk after you have dealt with the immediate danger: a socket that has scorched, a burning smell you can trace to a fitting, sparking from a switch or the consumer unit, water that has got into a light or socket, or a circuit you have had to switch off because it is unsafe and which serves something you genuinely cannot do without overnight. The first job is to switch off the affected circuit, or the main switch, at the consumer unit if you can reach it safely.
Safe to wait for a standard appointment
A problem that has stopped, shows no sign of heat or damage, and is not leaving the household without something essential. A single dead socket with no marks or smell, a light that has stopped working, or a breaker that trips now and then but resets and holds all usually fall here. They still deserve attention, but daylight hours and standard rates are fine.
Before calling anyone about a power cut
Losing all your power feels like the most serious electrical problem of all, but it is often not a fault in your home.
Look outside first. If neighbours, street lights or other flats in the building are dark too, the supply has failed. That is the electricity network operator’s job, and you report it by calling 105, a free number for England, Scotland and Wales. The same line takes reports of damaged power lines or substations; if anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 as well.
If it is only your home, look at the consumer unit. A main switch or RCD in the “off” position means the installation has disconnected itself. One reset attempt is reasonable. If it trips straight back off, leave it off; repeated resetting is how a fault that was safely disconnected becomes a fault that is not. If several switches are down, our guide to why a circuit breaker keeps tripping explains what the pattern can tell you.
Warning signs and what they can point to
None of the signs below confirm a particular fault on their own. They are reasons to stop using something and get it checked, with some more urgent than others.
| What you notice | What it can point to | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|
| Burning, hot plastic or fishy smell with no obvious source | Overheating cable, accessory or appliance; some plastics give off a fishy smell as they heat | Urgent: switch off the circuit if you can trace it, or the main switch if you cannot |
| Brown or black marks around a socket, plug or switch | A loose or failing connection that has been overheating | Urgent: stop using it and switch the circuit off |
| A plug, socket or switch that feels hot | Overloading, a poor connection or a failing accessory | Urgent if it is more than slightly warm or has any discolouration |
| Sparking from a socket, switch, fitting or the consumer unit | Arcing at a damaged or loose connection | Urgent, especially if it repeats or comes with a smell |
| A brief small spark when plugging in an appliance that is switched on | Often the normal effect of connecting a load | Usually not urgent, but switch appliances off before plugging in; if it is large, noisy or leaves marks, treat as urgent |
| Buzzing, crackling or fizzing from a socket, switch or the consumer unit | Arcing or a loose connection | Urgent if it comes with heat, smell or marks; otherwise get it checked soon |
| A tingle or shock from an appliance, tap, radiator or metal fitting | An earthing or insulation fault | Urgent: stop using it and switch off the circuit; seek medical advice if anyone was hurt |
| Water inside a light fitting, socket or switch | Risk of shock and short circuit | Urgent: do not touch it; isolate the power only if you can reach the consumer unit from a dry position |
| Breaker or RCD trips instantly every time it is reset | A fault that the protective device is correctly detecting | Leave it off; emergency only if it serves something essential or comes with other signs |
| Lights dimming or flickering across several rooms | A problem with the supply or main connections | Report to 105 if neighbours are affected; otherwise get the installation checked promptly |
Two signs are worth singling out. A fishy or “hot dust” smell is easy to dismiss because it does not smell like burning, yet it is a common sign of plastic overheating inside a socket or fitting. And any shock from something that should not be live, however small, means protection that should be there may not be working. Neither should be lived with until the next convenient appointment.
If someone gets an electric shock
Approach with caution and do not touch the person while they may still be in contact with the source. Electrical Safety First’s first aid guidance sets out the steps:
- Switch off the supply by unplugging the appliance or turning off the mains at the consumer unit, if you can do so safely.
- If you cannot switch it off, use something dry and non-conductive, such as a wooden broom handle, to move the source away from the person.
- If the person is unconscious, call 999 straight away. If they are not breathing normally, start CPR if you are able to, and use a defibrillator if one is available.
- If they are conscious, keep watching them. Effects such as internal burns or heart rhythm problems may not show immediately, so medical advice is sensible even after a shock that seemed minor.
Only attempt first aid you are trained and confident to give. Once the person has been looked after, the installation needs checking before anything in that area is used again.
What not to do while you wait
- Do not keep resetting a breaker or RCD that trips straight back off.
- Do not remove the cover of the consumer unit, a socket or a fitting to look for the fault.
- Do not use water, or a wet cloth, on anything electrical that is smoking or burning.
- Do not tape over, unplug and replug, or “test” a socket that has scorched or sparked.
- Do not switch a light back on to check whether it still works after water has come through it.
When to call an emergency electrician
If what you are seeing sits in the urgent group and the immediate risk has been dealt with by switching it off, an emergency electrician is the right next step. Voltify Contractors’ emergency electrician page explains how out-of-hours call-outs work and what the first visit aims to do. Outside the standard 7am–5pm, Monday to Friday, out-of-hours call-outs are available at a different rate.
If the problem belongs in the “safe to wait” group, booking electrical fault finding during standard hours will trace the cause without the out-of-hours cost. And if water is part of the picture, our guide on who to call for plumbing and electrical emergencies explains which trade to involve first.
