An electrical emergency is a situation where electricity may cause fire, shock or immediate damage, or where an essential supply has failed and cannot safely wait. You do not need to diagnose the cause before asking for help.
Your first priority is to keep people away from the danger. Do not remove covers, touch wet equipment or repeatedly reset a device that will not stay on. Isolate the affected circuit or main switch only if you can reach it without approaching smoke, heat, water or exposed live parts.
Burning smells, smoke or heat
A hot-plastic or fish-like smell near a socket, switch, consumer unit or appliance can indicate overheating insulation or a loose connection. Discolouration, crackling and a fitting that is unusually warm are also warning signs.
Stop using the affected equipment. If there is smoke, visible fire or immediate danger, leave the property and call the emergency services. Do not use water on electrical equipment. Where it is safe to do so, turn off the relevant circuit or main switch without removing any cover.
Electric shock or tingling from metalwork
Any electric shock should be taken seriously, even if it seemed brief. Do not touch a person who remains in contact with a live source. Disconnect the power only if this can be done safely and call the emergency services for medical advice and urgent assistance.
Tingling from taps, appliances, pipes or other metalwork can indicate a fault with earthing, bonding or connected equipment. Stop using the area and arrange urgent investigation. Do not try to prove the symptom by touching it again.
Arcing, buzzing and damaged electrical equipment
Bright flashes, sparks from fixed wiring, sustained buzzing or exposed conductors require prompt isolation and inspection. A tiny momentary spark inside some switches can be normal, but repeated arcing, visible damage or noise from a fitting is not something to ignore.
Keep people away, stop using the circuit and do not tape over or push exposed wiring back into place. If a cable has been drilled, cut or crushed, assume it may remain live until safely isolated and tested.
Water near electrics
A leak through a ceiling, floodwater, storm damage or water inside an outdoor fitting can make normal switches and equipment unsafe to touch. Do not enter standing water where electrical equipment may be energised.
Turn off the supply only from a dry and safely accessible position. The installation should be inspected and tested before affected circuits are returned to use because drying the visible surface does not prove that water has left accessories, cables or equipment.
Complete or partial loss of power
First check whether neighbouring properties and street lighting are also affected. A wider network outage should be reported by calling 105, the free power-cut number for Great Britain. If only your property is affected, check the consumer unit without removing its cover.
One tripped circuit may indicate an appliance or wiring fault. Repeatedly forcing the switch back on is not a repair. Loss of power becomes more urgent where it affects medical equipment, heating in severe weather, alarms, refrigeration for essential medicines or vulnerable occupants.
Information to give the electrician
Describe what happened immediately before the fault, what you can smell or hear, which rooms are affected and what the consumer unit shows. Mention water, drilling, recent building work, new appliances and anyone who received a shock.
Photographs can help only if they can be taken from a safe position. Never approach an unsafe fitting or reopen an enclosure to obtain a better picture.
Related electrical work
Services mentioned in this guide
Emergency Electrician
Urgent help with loss of power, burning smells, damaged accessories and repeatedly tripping circuits.
Electrical Fault Finding
Methodical testing to locate intermittent or persistent electrical faults without unnecessary guesswork.
Electrical Repairs
Safe, durable repairs to wiring, fittings, circuits and electrical equipment around the property.
Earthing & Bonding
Inspection and improvement of the protective conductors that help keep exposed metalwork safe.
Further information
These independent sources provide additional safety or regulatory information:
Electrical Safety First: electrical questions answeredPower Cut 105: electricity network emergenciesIf you need an electrician
What to send us
Describe the issue
Tell us what is happening, which part of the property is affected and whether any recent work may be connected.
Share useful details
Photographs, equipment model numbers and existing certificates help us understand the likely scope before a visit.
Agree the next step
We will explain whether the job needs an inspection, fault-finding appointment or site survey before quotation.