Are free floating connector blocks inside the CU allowed?

[eveares]

Over the time, I have seen a lot of photos of consumer units showing connector strips/blocks floating freely inside.

While one can easily agree it is not best practice, is it officially allowed under BS7671?

Surely if you have to join wires in the CU and had spare space on the din rail, then it would be best to use popper insulated din rail type accessories or wago din rail mounting carries, etc...

 

[EFLImpudence]

Over the time, I have seen a lot of photos of consumer units showing connector strips/blocks floating freely inside.

While one can easily agree it is not best practice, is it officially allowed under BS7671?

Yes it's fine.
If not allowed you would not have seen them.

Surely if you have to join wires in the CU and had spare space on the din rail, then it would be best to use popper insulated din rail type accessories or wago din rail mounting carries, etc...

It's up to you.

As the only reason for such joining is the shortage of the wires you are limited in what you can use.

 

[JohnW2]

Over the time, I have seen a lot of photos of consumer units showing connector strips/blocks floating freely inside. ... While one can easily agree it is not best practice, is it officially allowed under BS7671?

It's 'allowed', is no different from the 'floating freely' connector strips/blocks one finds inside an number of other enclosures (in back boxes behind switches, inside lighting fittings, etc. etc.) and, I would have said, not really 'bad practice'. If you believe in such things, crimps would be an alternative.

Surely if you have to join wires in the CU and had spare space on the din rail, then it would be best to use popper insulated din rail type accessories or wago din rail mounting carries, etc...

That would be nice and neat, where possible, but domestic CUs will not often have enough spare DIN-rail space to facilitate much (if any) of that (and it might be difficult finding a decent/safe blanking plate for the CU if the DIN rail were 'occupied'). More to the point, cable joints within CUs usually exist because (e.g. after a CU change) the conductors will not reach the MCB. If they won't reach a DIN-rail-mounted MCB, they quite probably wouldn't reach a DIN-rail-mounted connector, either!

Kind Regards, John
Edit: typed too slowly again! (well, in truth, typing got interrupted by a telephone call!)