Current Affairs

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This issue’s crop of dodgy installations features (1-4) an innovative approach Thisissue’scropofdodg This T f Lively business 4 5 to lighting; a socket installed in the hot t Electrical contractors are 1 pipework under a combi-boiler; a brass p used to having to negotiate batten lamp holder with no earth wire and the spare earthing terminal battenlamp holderwithnoearam their way around the used to join the live wires together; a “faulty” light fitting at a timber dust us contents of customers’ extraction yard; (5-8) an RCD remounted upside down with the supply tails ex lofts, but Dave Hall of and load connections wired into the lower terminals to prevent it tripping; a Abbeywood Electrical in the scene at a newbuild house where the customer complained of a burning th Hinckley, Leicestershire, got smell; a light fitting with loop feed connected to the earth terminal; and s more than he bargained for a consumer unit with exposed meter tails and reverse polarity. a when he put his hand on

Thanks to those who sent these in: Paul Toye of Brighton-based Synergy Thankstothos what turned out to Home Solutions; Graham Phillips of G Phillips in Shoreham-by-Sea; John Richardson of Ascot-based John Richardson; Gary Cross of Gary Cross Electrical in Hainault, Essex; Ian Campbell of I R Campbell and Co in Sheffield; Chris Smith of Leicester-based C.D. Smith Electrical Contractors; Paul Ray of Paul Ray Electrical Services in Hednesford; and Eddie Von Lydden of Eddie’s Electrical in Blackpool. Marathon effort be an unexploded World War Two pipebomb during a house rewire in Balsall Common, West Midlands. “Most people have got junk in Don’t forget to send Current Affairs any pictures that have made you smile in the line of work and let us know of any hidden talents or charity initiatives. Email editor@ niceicconnections.com An electrical contractor from Shrewsbury aims to their roofs, but this raise over £2,000 for the Epilepsy Society by taking part was absolutely full of old in the London Marathon. stuff,” he says. “I put my hand Paul Matthews, a director at NICEIC Approved Contractor on something that felt like Williams and Picken, decided to enter the event after one of his a piece of twin daughters was diagnosed with the condition in 2009. pipe. At first

Shropshire Star “It was a really hard time, but the nurses were remarkable and I thought I’d try to give something back,” he says. “I did the Great North Run last year and raised £620 but my main aim was to do the marathon. I thought it was a shell, but what made me a

“Everything is going well with my daughter now but people turn a blind eye to epilepsy so I wanted to raise awareness.” Paul is currently running 20 miles bit more wary was that it had in around three hours and hopes to complete the marathon in under four. Anyone interested in a red top and was completely sponsoring Paul should visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/paulmatthews. sealed. When I realised what it was I put it back and reported it.” The elderly householder Domestic service propositioned by a customer was away on holiday but It sounds like something while, er, on the job. company director Caroline out of Desperate Housewives, The survey goes on to Cannings got in touch with but it seems a few people say that only one in 10 have the daughter and informed have rather more on their succumbed to such amorous the police. The next day the mind than getting their advances, but, says one bomb disposal unit was called circuits tested when they chivalrous respondent, “to out and safely detonated the call out an electrician. be honest the ones who bomb in a nearby field.

Research by localtraders. have made it obvious haven’t What’s the strangest item com found more than exactly been lookers – it you’ve come across in the one in 10 (11 per cent) of hasn’t been difficult to resist line of work? Email editor@ tradespeople had been that sort of temptation”. niceicconnections.com. 66 Spring 2011 NICEIC Connections