RICHMOND MP Jenny Tonge is heading a campaign to promote electrical safety in the home following the tragic death of her daughter earlier this year.

Dr Tonge helped launch the government campaign which includes tough new building regulations aimed at curbing the rising number of deaths, injuries and house fires caused by faulty electrical installations, at the Institution of Electrical Engineers last week. The new rules affect anyone considering electrical work in the home, including DIY enthusiasts.

Following the death of her daughter Mary Wherry in an electrical accident, Dr Tonge enquired about the registration and competence of electricians, who are not currently regulated in the same way as the 'Corgi' registration of gas engineers.

Dr Tonge said she discovered that the new regulations come into force on January 1: "They have asked me to head up the campaign to make all consumers aware of the new regulations. Having been involved so directly in such a terrible tragedy, I strongly support any initiative which might reduce the number of deaths, injuries and fires caused by unsafe electrical wiring."

Each year on average 110 people die and about 750 are seriously injured in accidents involving unsafe electrical installations in the home. In addition, in 2003, 2,336 house fires were caused by faulty installations.

Failure to comply with the new regulations could lead to the householder being required to bring the work up to standard and may make it more difficult to sell their homes. Minor jobs like replacing sockets and light switches will not be affected, but anyone thinking of, for example, adding new circuits to their house will have to get building control involved. The alternative is to get the work carried out by a suitably qualified expert.

Electrical faults, accidents or misuse of electrical equipment cause thousands of fires in homes, and millions of pounds of damage every year. Over 85 per cent of all fire deaths occur in the home, and up to four per cent of fire deaths in London are caused by electrical wiring or appliance faults.

Divisional officer Mark Blomfield of the London Fire Brigade said: "The London Fire Brigade welcomes the requirement for domestic electrical work to be carried out by a trained person. The new regulations will help to prevent many of the fires which occur each year due to shoddy or dangerous wiring."

The key question for householders is who will be carrying out the work. If it is themselves, a friend or relative then they will have to notify the local authority building control department unless only minor work is involved. An alternative is to employ someone who is certified by a relevant 'competent person' scheme.

The leaflet 'New rules for electrical safety in the home' explains the options and how to go about finding a 'competent person' in your area in a clear, easy to read style. You can view it online now at www.odpm.gov.uk/electricalsafety and hard copies will be available from local authorities and competent person scheme operators from the new year.