A burning smell from a socket or switch means something electrical is overheating right now, and it should be treated as urgent. Switch the circuit off at the consumer unit if it’s safe to reach, don’t unplug anything that’s hot or touch the fitting itself, and call an electrician immediately. If you see flames, smoke or the smell is spreading, get everyone out and dial 999 — never use water on an electrical fire.
Do this right now, in this order
- If there are flames or visible smoke, dial 999. Leave the property, close doors behind you and let the fire brigade deal with it. An electrical fire inside a wall can spread faster than it looks.
- Switch off at the consumer unit — if it’s safe to reach. Flick off the switch for the affected circuit, or the main switch if you’re not sure which one it is. This is the single most effective thing you can do, and it only involves the switches on the front of the unit.
- Do not unplug anything that’s hot. A plug or socket that’s hot enough to smell can burn your hand, and pulling it can draw an arc. Kill the power at the board first; unplug only once the fitting has cooled.
- Do not touch, tape over or “test” the socket or switch. No wiggling the plug, no sniff tests with your face close to the fitting, no removing the faceplate to look inside. Leave it exactly as it is.
- Ventilate and keep watch. Open a window for the fumes — melting plastic insulation gives off a distinctive fishy or acrid smell — and keep an eye on the fitting for 20–30 minutes even after the power is off, since heat inside a wall takes time to dissipate.
- Call an electrician immediately. A socket that has overheated once has damaged terminals or wiring behind it and will do it again. This is not a “book something for next week” fault. Our 24-hour emergency electrician service covers London day and night.
Stop and call a professional if you have any doubt at all about which switch to turn off, if the consumer unit itself smells or feels warm, or if the smell returns after the circuit is off — that can mean the fault is on a different circuit than you thought, or in fixed wiring. Never open the consumer unit or remove any faceplate yourself.
What causes sockets and switches to overheat
Ranked from what we find most often on London call-outs:
- Loose connections. The number-one cause. Terminals work loose over years of thermal cycling; a loose connection has high resistance, and high resistance makes heat. This is why sockets that have worked fine for a decade suddenly start to smell.
- Overloaded sockets and extension leads. Heaters, tumble dryers and kettles daisy-chained through a four-way strip pull far more current than one outlet is designed for. Extension leads are involved in a large share of the melted plugs we see.
- Worn or damaged sockets. Sockets loosen with use. When the internal contacts no longer grip the plug pins firmly, arcing occurs on every use — you may hear crackling or see tiny sparks when plugging in.
- Faulty appliances or cheap plugs. Counterfeit chargers and poorly made plugs with undersized internal parts overheat even at normal loads.
- Ageing wiring behind the fitting. In older London properties, decades-old cable behind a socket may have brittle insulation. The socket is just where the symptom shows; the fault runs back into the wall.
Why you shouldn’t just swap the socket yourself
A scorched socket is the visible end of the fault, not the fault itself. If the cause is a loose terminal, damaged cable or an overloaded circuit, a shiny new faceplate simply hides the problem until it overheats again — this time behind fresh plastic where you can’t see the warning signs. There’s also the legal and safety side: the circuit needs to be safely isolated and proved dead, the cable ends inspected and cut back past any heat damage, and the repair tested afterwards. That’s a job for a qualified electrician, and it’s exactly what the fault-finding part of our call-out covers.
When it’s a genuine emergency
- Flames, smoke or glowing at any fitting — 999 first, electrician second
- The smell continues or returns after switching the circuit off
- Scorch marks are spreading, or the wall around the fitting is warm
- The burning smell is at the consumer unit itself
- You’ve had a shock or tingle from the fitting
Any of the above, call us straight away on 07407 627542 — we prioritise burning-smell calls above almost everything else, because they’re the ones that become house fires. If the circuit is off, the fitting is cold and the smell has gone, you’re usually safe to wait a few hours for a same-day visit rather than a middle-of-the-night one; we’ll advise honestly on the phone.
What our electrician will do on arrival
- Confirm the circuit is safely isolated and prove it dead before touching anything
- Remove the affected socket or switch and inspect the terminals, cable ends and back box for heat damage
- Cut back and re-terminate damaged conductors, or trace the fault further along the circuit if the damage extends into the wall
- Test the whole circuit — insulation resistance, polarity, earth continuity — before re-energising, so we know the fault is fixed rather than hidden
- Fit a replacement socket or switch and check nearby fittings on the same circuit, since a loose-connection problem rarely stops at one point
If what we find suggests a wider problem — several overheating points, ageing cable, an undersized circuit — we’ll say so plainly and recommend an EICR (a full condition report on the installation) so you know exactly where you stand.
What it costs
Our minimum charge for any visit is £108 including VAT (£90 + VAT), which covers attendance and fault-finding — day or night. Prices are labour-only. Most single-socket repairs are completed within that first visit; if more work is needed, you get a fixed price quoted before the work starts, never an open-ended hourly bill. As a NICEIC Approved Contractor, every repair is tested and certified to current wiring regulations.
Frequently asked questions
What does an electrical burning smell actually smell like?
Usually acrid, plasticky and often distinctly fishy — that fishy note is overheating phenolic plastic inside sockets, plugs and switches, and it’s one of the most reliable early-warning signs of a loose connection.
The smell has gone now the circuit is off. Is it fixed?
No — the heat source has been removed, but the damaged connection or cable is still there and will overheat again as soon as the circuit is re-energised. It still needs inspecting and repairing before you use it.
Is a warm plug normal?
Slightly warm on a high-load appliance (heater, kettle) can be normal. Too hot to hold comfortably, discoloured, or smelling — not normal. Stop using it and have the socket checked.
Do you cover my area?
We’re based in Tottenham N15 and cover north, east and central London around the clock — see our London service areas page for the full list of postcodes and boroughs.
Burning smell right now? Call us
F & A Electrical is rated 9.69/10 from 237 Checkatrade reviews and we answer the phone 24 hours a day. Call 07407 627542 or 07500 721453 now — we’ll talk you through making things safe while an electrician is on the way.
Common electrical faults — more guides
Fuse box keeps tripping · RCD won’t reset · No power in half the house · Lights flickering