The clocks go back one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, confirmed on gov.uk — the point every year when Derby households quietly shift from a couple of dark evenings a week to darkness by teatime, every day, for five months. That shift changes what your electrics are actually being asked to do: more hours of lighting, more extension leads run to sheds and gardens, more decorative and security lighting plugged in and left running. None of that is a problem in itself. The way it's often done is.
The extension lead habit that causes real fires
Extension leads are rated for a maximum load, and once the clocks go back, Derby households routinely daisy-chain two or three together to reach a shed, a greenhouse, or a string of garden lights — which is precisely how a lead ends up carrying more current than it's designed for. Overloaded extension leads are one of the most common causes of electrical fires reported in UK homes over the autumn and winter months. A single, correctly rated outdoor extension lead, run in one length rather than chained, is both safer and usually cheaper than replacing what a fire damages.
The five-minute check worth doing this week, before the clocks change
- Unwind any extension lead fully before use — a coiled lead under load can overheat even well within its rated capacity
- Check outdoor-rated leads and sockets are actually outdoor-rated (IP44 or higher) if they're exposed to any weather at all
- Test your RCD (the button on your consumer unit, often marked 'test') — it should trip when pressed; if it doesn't, that's a job for a qualified electrician, not a DIY fix
- Don't leave decorative or security lighting plugged into an indoor socket via a lead run out through a window or door gap — that's both a trip hazard and a way to damage the cable's insulation
- Check any existing outdoor sensor or security lights are working before you need them, not after the first pitch-black 5pm
"The extension lead that's fine for a phone charger in summer isn't automatically fine for a string of garden lights and a pressure washer left running into October. Load matters more than most people think."
When it's time to call an electrician rather than DIY it
If you're finding you need permanent outdoor lighting rather than a seasonal extension lead — for security, for a regularly used garden office, or simply because you're tired of running cables through a window every October — that's a proper outdoor circuit installed by a qualified electrician, not a longer extension lead. The same goes for anything involving a consumer unit that's tripping repeatedly once the darker months' extra load goes on, or any socket, switch or fitting that feels warm to the touch. Both are early warning signs worth acting on before they become an emergency call.
Get your electrics winter-ready before the dark evenings arrive
Cor's electricians cover Derby and Derbyshire 24/7 — from an RCD that won't reset to a proper outdoor lighting circuit.
Published by Kirk Group Editorial
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