- only the breaker popping will do that. Also, the decision to use 220V rather than 110V was for the same reason - reduce copper usage by reducing the current needed to provide the same power levels. Of course, the higher voltage being more dangerous was the reason all the outlets needed their own fuses and switches. But I could be wrong, as I am not an electrician, and especially I am not a UK electrician. Re: No fair No. Both ends of the ring main are wired to the same 30A fuse or contact breaker (not both), so pulling the fuse or tripping the breaker isolates the circuit. The sockets are not fused and do not have to be switched. Plugs are fused at 13 amps (or lower depending on the equipment connected and cable used). Spurs and wired outlets (for emersion heaters etc.) are also fused. Separate cable runs for showers, cookers etc may be fused at the consumer unit only. Quart out of a pint pot The in-desk power strips in office setups usually have individual 3A fuses for each socket so the entire 4-socket strip can only pull 12A maximum. As someone else mentioned you do get idiots who plug fan heaters and such into their desk power sockets which would burn out the false-floor distribution cables and/or pop circuit breakers if the sockets weren't individually fused. During an office refurb I had to cope with a numpty trying to run his 1500W hammer-drill off a