Electrical Socket - can I do it myself?

[ParadiseLaundry]

Just bought a lovely sideboard from a charity shop. I knew the measurements of the alcove and knew it would fit, but stupidly forgot about the stupid bloody useless chunky plug socket we have there

We never use it as it's behind the unit that's there already and it's too close to the floor to actually even plug anything in anyway. Can I just take it off myself? Would I need to do something with it do make it safe or cover it over? The new sideboard will cover it so I'm not bothered about aesthetics, I just want to make it safe. Can anyone suggest anything? Or do I have to get an electrician? Obviously I would turn the electrics off before fiddling with it!

Maybe you could ask an electrician to move it to some place where it's more easily accessible?

If it isn't in the way, just leave it.

If it is - yes, as I understand it you can replace like for like legally. What you could do is safely terminate it with a suitable terminal block inside, then fit a blanking plate. But does it have a backing box, this can be an issue with these.

Very odd though as it is unusable. How old is your wiring?

Thanks for responding.

Visitor, there is really nowhere else it could go as the fire and chimney breast wall is to the left of the picture and there is a radiator on the right. In theory it would make sense to just move it to behind where the unit would be for the future.

Special, I think a blanking plate sounds like what we need. The house was rewired in the late 90s. The previous occupants were really odd with the plug sockets though! There are loads in really odd places that they chose.

I think I'd be tempted to cut a small hole in my sideboard to fit it over. You wont see it as its at the back

It's actually not in the back it's right at the front of the alcove! See what I mean about weird socket placings

And it's a really nice piece from the 1930s so don't really want to butcher it!

I'm pretty sure you can put a blank plate thing in yourself. There will be tutorials online on how to terminate the wires etc.

Don't cut a hole in your sideboard!

You have a surface-mounted socket, fixed to a skirting board, close to the floor.

It has been know for about 40 years that this is a bad place to put a socket, because it will get banged by hoovers, furniture and people walking by, and the plug will be close to the floor and possibly overbend or strain the flex. It has been generally known for about 30 years that people who are disabled, or have bad backs, or bad knees, or are fat or pregnant, have difficulty reaching sockets so close to the floor.

I will guess that it is not the only socket in your house like that. It suggests other old wiring practices have been followed, and modernisation is overdue.

You can't just fit a jb and blanking plate, because there is nowhere for the box to go except sticking out of the skirting board. So I don't think this is a DIY job. Deal with it when you have a rewire or otherwise change the layout of your sockets. Using professional tools, it is possible to extend the circuit cables to a new position, for example a backbox sunk into the wall, at a more normal height, but you won't manage a permanent joint yourself.