Problems unscrewing electrical socket

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Hello

I am currently wallpapering the living room and only have one wall left to do. However I am having big problems (in that 'I can't') unscrew the last electrical socket enough to be able to fit the wallpaper slightly behind the socket itself.

It's a single plug socket and the right hand side screw unscrews no bother but the left hand side screw, although it turns easily, the left hand side of the socket is not coming away from the wall at all hardly (maybe a mm or so, not enough to get the thick wallpaper behind).

It's a pretty old socket and I was hoping that once I finished wallpapering I'd replace all the sockets with new ones I've bought, but this is frustrating the life out of me. As I'm unscrewing I'm also pulling the socket towards me, to try and encourage the screw to come out, but so far this has been unsuccessful.

Any ideas?
 
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Is the screw slack, and are you sure it is not perhaps probably the many layers of paper/paint that is holing the socket in place. I generally run a stanley/craft knife around the perimeter of the outlet cutting into and behind the socket to help prise it away.
It is also possible that the thread on either screw or backbox has gone. First try gently prising from wall, if unsuccessful, then I there is slack in the screw I would cut the head of the screw off, so you can release the plate. It maybe that you can then grip remaining thread with pliers to unscrew. Or you might have to consider rethreading lugs or replacing.
If no slack on screw then drill it out.
 
Is the screw slack, and are you sure it is not perhaps probably the many layers of paper/paint that is holing the socket in place. I generally run a stanley/craft knife around the perimeter of the outlet cutting into and behind the socket to help prise it away.
It is also possible that the thread on either screw or backbox has gone. First try gently prising from wall, if unsuccessful, then I there is slack in the screw I would cut the head of the screw off, so you can release the plate. It maybe that you can then grip remaining thread with pliers to unscrew. Or you might have to consider rethreading lugs or replacing.
If no slack on screw then drill it out.

Thanks for your response. I did run a craft knife around the edges, so I know it's not that. Funnily enough when I got into work this morning after posting there was the campus electrician doing some work in our office, so I asked his advice and he suggested the same as you pretty much so I'll take a look at it tonight. If I can manage to cut the screw head off to remove the plate and get the screw out, he says he'll lend me his 3.5mm screw re-threader tool.
 
If I can manage to cut the screw head off to remove the plate and get the screw out, he says he'll lend me his 3.5mm screw re-threader tool.
If there were enough of the screw sticking out for you to be able to cut off its head, it would almost certainly be possible to get hold of the head with pliers (or, better, a mole grip or similar) and then pull (hard!) whilst 'unscrewing' in order to get the screw out.

Kind Regards, John
 
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If you do resort to cutting head off, resometimes too get the old bit out its easier to recut off flush with the front of the lug and then screw or pull it out from the rear of the lug
 

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