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Tue, 28 Jul 2026

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 Brits urged to avoid dangerous plug adaptors this summer - what to watch out for

Campaign group Electrical Safety First has urged those "heading abroad this summer to think before they buy".

* Online marketplaces like AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and TikTok are selling thousands of travel adaptors that fail to meet UK safety standards.
* Electrical Safety First (ESF) tested 14 products from these platforms and found they all had design flaws or missing safety features, posing a risk of electric shock or electrocution.
* Six regular travel adaptors and eight universal adaptors were tested, with six out of eight universal adaptors having multiple sets of pins that could be exposed simultaneously.
* None of the universal adaptors met UK plug dimension requirements, while some had oversized pin holes or snapped off under force during tests.
* ESF also found fire safety concerns in the basic travel adaptors, including missing safety shutters and oversized pin holes.
* Online reviews highlighted instances where users suffered from electrical shocks or near-misses with these devices.
* The platforms have since removed the products flagged by ESF, but the charity is calling for online marketplaces to be made legally responsible for products sold on their sites.
* ESF believes this would help protect consumers from dangerous electrical goods and prevent similar incidents in the future.