I know -- It's absolutely laughable. How could having the old color code make anything unsafe? [Linked Image]

They can't even argue that somebody might not understand the old colors and wire the plug incorrectly, because they also specify that you must fit a plug! Besides, even though red/black/green for flexes went out over 30 years ago, most people here still understand it perfectly due the continued use of red and black in fixed house cables.

The part about fitting a new-style BS1363 plug with shielded pins I feel is going too far as well. Sure these plugs offer greater protection, but there's nothing wrong with the old plugs.

Some of these things seem to be left wide open to interpretation by the various Trading Standards offices from across the country. How much of this could actually be legally enforced if someone queried it, I'm not sure. Some districts have already had cases in other areas where it's clear that local inspectors have way overstepped the mark by trying to impose restrictions when they have no authority to do so.

Most junk shops get around a lot of these problems by labeling older equipment as "Collector's item only" or "Not for use" to cover themselves (sgain, what the legal position is, I'm not absolutely certain).

Unfortunately, they sometimes resort to cutting off the cord and throwing it away to make sure the device can't be used without repair. I find this particularly annoying.

Sven mentioned old radios. There are many people who want to restore an old set to as near to its original condition as possible. Disposing of a perfectly serviceable cord means another item to replace, and some types are getting quite hard to find.

I'm not suggesting anyone should continue to use a frayed old cord which is obviously in bad shape (e.g. cotton and rubber 1930s cord with brittle insulation), but there are PVC-insulated cords from the early 1950s which are perfectly all right. Some of those were made with matching gold or brown outer sheaths, and can be very hard to get hold off these days. Deliberately chopping off and disposing of such a cord is, in my not-so-humble-opinion, an act of vandalism! [Linked Image]

{OK, rant over for now... [Linked Image]}