The first time he fired up his double hot plate, the fuse-box door was open and he witnessed a cerulean flash and a rattail of smoke, the first of four fuses it took to fry one egg.

NEWYORKER: Idols

He bought an electric saw and some lumber to patch the second-floor gallery, but every time he was halfway through a board a fuse would blow in the spider-haunted circuit box in the kitchen.

NEWYORKER: Idols

Its research also suggests many UK adults do not have adequate protection from electrical fires - less than half of those surveyed (49%) have a Residual Current Device in their fuse box, a safety device which minimises the risk of fire by cutting off the power in the event of a fault.

BBC: 'Blunder' fires increasing say Electrical Safety Council