Wiltshire Council's Trading Standards team has successfully secured more than £8,000 in funding to deliver a new community electrical safety project across the county.

The council has been awarded £8,276.40 through the Electrical Safety First, Electrical Safety Fund, which supports projects that help reduce electrical risks in homes, raise awareness of electrical safety and provide practical interventions to keep people safe.

The funding will enable the council to host four community electrical safety events across Wiltshire, giving residents the opportunity to have small household electrical items tested for safety by a qualified Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) tester.

The events are expected to take place in early 2027 in Trowbridge, Devizes, Chippenham and Salisbury, with specific dates and venues to be announced in due course. The sessions will be open to all residents, helping people identify potentially unsafe electrical items and learn more about electrical safety in the home.

Residents will be able to bring along a wide range of household electrical items for free safety testing, including phone chargers, extension leads, electric blankets, kettles, toasters, irons, power banks and portable heaters. Other small domestic appliances will also be accepted for testing.

As part of the campaign, owners of unsafe electrical products that are surrendered for recycling will be eligible to receive a voucher towards a quality replacement item, provided by Wiltshire-based branches of electrical retailer Kew Electrical.

The council is particularly keen to encourage residents to bring along products purchased through online marketplaces and overseas sellers. In recent years, Trading Standards has seen concerns raised nationally about some electrical products sold through online platforms that may not meet UK safety requirements.

Electrical faults and unsafe electrical products remain a significant cause of accidental house fires and injuries. The project aims to help residents identify potentially unsafe items, reduce risks within the home and gain practical advice on electrical safety.

As well as helping residents identify unsafe electrical products, the council is encouraging people to recycle unwanted electrical items responsibly. Small electrical items and household batteries can be recycled through the free kerbside battery and small electricals collection service. Residents can also recycle larger electrical items at household recycling centres across the county, helping to prevent valuable materials from going to waste and reducing the risk of unsafe products remaining in use.