Hosted by journalist Kim McAllister, the seventh instalment in the series shines a spotlight on three electricians who discuss some of the shoddy workmanship and dangerous DIY installations they’ve encountered and had to put right.

In the episode – entitled Can you smell fish? Bypassed boards, cable calamities and other electrical horror stories – the trio reveal how they can tell instantly if an installation has been carried out by an unqualified person and why a particular tell-tale aroma is always a bad sign.

Chris Micheau, who works for SELECT member firm S&C Electrical & Plumbing Ltd, tells the podcast: “I’ve come across quite a few – things like Sellotaped wires above light fittings, sockets glued to the wall rather than properly fixed. People take shortcuts and don’t want to spend the money of a qualified tradesperson doing the work properly.

“Christmas can be difficult, with lights and Christmas trees and so on. I’ve seen five and six plugs all powered off one socket, plus kettles, toasters and microwaves all taking power from one plug. Electrical safety isn’t something that many people really think about.”

Chris also said he’s seen people bypassing the electricity meter to try and save money on their bills, adding: “I’ve come across a fair few, particularly in rental properties. I’ve pointed out that it’s dangerous but I just receive a lot of abuse back. Now I just report it.”

Also interviewed is Paul Erasmuson of SELECT member firm Techni-Call Electrics in Gorebridge, Midlothian, who reveals he’s kept busy with emergency callouts to fix bodged electrical projects.

He said: “Going to fix other people’s mistakes is part of my job now. Just because something is working doesn’t mean that it’s electrically safe. I’ve seen showers running and smoke coming from the fuse board and when I put my hand on the cable it’s red hot.

“When someone says to me on the phone, ‘I can smell burning fish’ I know right away that it’s a bad connection and that plastic is melting somewhere. I then get there, take a melted circuit breaker out of the board and show it to them and it’s absolutely stinking.

“On fuseboards which have been badly installed by a DIY-er, you can put a thermal imaging camera on them and see the terminals heating up red hot. When I show customers they’re absolutely horrified.

“Ninety nine times out of a hundred people will say ‘It was a guy I knew’ or ‘The joiner thought he could wire it up’. When people hear these stories, they’re shocked, but it’s become the norm to me.”

He added: “The worst time is around Christmas when people have their oven on, their heating on and all their appliances on and that’s the time that things start to go wrong, especially if it’s been part of a bad installation in the first place.

“I was called out to one house when all the lights were out and the fuse board was literally hanging from the wall – the cables were holding the fuse board up. As soon as I took the cover off, all the connections inside were loose, cables were arcing together and they were burnt black. You really don’t want to get it to that stage.”

Experienced electrician Graeme Anderson of SELECT member firm Powertec Electrotechnical Services Ltd also tells the podcast how he often has to clear up other people’s mess on industrial installations.

He said: “I do get sent to a lot of problem jobs. On a massive project last year, the electrical engineers had simply designed it wrongly. Two systems were being consolidated inside one plant room and the electricians, working to the engineers’ design, had also got it wrong.

“Once it was finished, it was clear something was not right and it had to be shut down. It was very satisfying to go in, stop everything and break it all down into each individual component part and disconnect almost everything to see what the parts were.

“We had to test each part, get a result for them and then submit a report with an alternative design to upgrade. We had to have bespoke instruments made to put on to the existing system. It was a lot harder than starting from fresh, but there was a lot of job satisfaction in it.”

The timely message comes as cross-party support continues to mount for SELECT’s long-running campaign for regulation of the industry and protection of title for electricians.

Iain Mason, director of membership, events & communications at SELECT, said: “As we continue to celebrate our 125th anniversary, this podcast is a fascinating glimpse into the some of the dangers that face electricians every day and reinforces the need for regulated professionals to make sure that public safety comes first and foremost.”

Listen to the new episode of Sparks’ Remarks here.