New Harmonised Cable colours & B&Q etc

[Clitheroe]

HI
There are a few things I was wondering about cable colours etc.
I have noticed in B&Q that they have put leaflets in the electrical aisle 'How to......understand the changes in electrical regulations'. It explains a bit about Part P but it is mainly about the new colours.However, they dont stock any new coloured cable yet (at least not in my local B&Q store) but across the road in Focus I have seen cable for sale in the different sizes and the 2.5mm size is in the new colours but there is no explanation of these changes in that store or warning labels about wiring colours. Has anybody else noticed anything like this?

Also, does anybody know exactly when the new colours were adopted for appliance flexes? I would not know myself because it was before I was born. Between numerous iee wiring matters magazines, websites and some old diy manuals there is a lot of contradiction - some say it was 1968, some say 1969, some say 1970, some say 1971 and some say 1975.

 

[kai]

I note that Wickes also start selling new cables this month onwards, however I have only ever seen the warning labels on sale in electrical wholesalers and not DIY stores, I wonder why?

(Part P DOES allow anyone to extend an existing circuit), which is likely to be done with new cable joined to old!

 

[Big_Spark]

B&Q seem to think that so long as they inform the public that the colours have changed, they don't need to sell it???

Bunch of anchors all of them.

 

[plugwash]

iirc you don't have to use new colors until sometime in 2006

i suspect the diy stores are offloading thier red/black and will restock with brown/blue as the old colors run out.

diy stores presumablly get through thier stock considerablly slower than wholesalers do.

to be honest i'm kinda dubious about the value of the warning labels especially in single phase domestic installs. anyone who knows even a moderate amount about wiring will have seen brown/blue in flexes for years (and we never used warning labels for that) and those who don't know about wiring are unlikely to understand what the label is trying to warn them of.