Fuses protect humans. RCDs protect humans. Neither
provides surge protection.

There is no need for plug-in surge protectors. Urban myth
says that switching on and off an appliance creates a surge.
If true, then we were replacing household appliances every day
before computers existed. At most, switching creates a single
digit voltage spike called 'noise'. Surge protectors remain
inert until the transient exceeds hundreds of volts. Surge
protector do nothing when appliances are powered on and off.

Surges are rare events that occur once every eight years -
and even less so in the UK. But so destructive that surge
protectors are installed. Surges cannot be stopped.
Typically destructive surge must be earthed. Earthed by a
protector that is up to the task (has sufficient joules),
protects everything in the house at a cost that is typically
tens of times less per protected appliance, and that has a
less than 3 meter connection to earth to do as Andrew Gabriel
has described: short circuit that transient to earth ground.

No reason for any building to suffer surge damage.
Effective surge protectors are so cheap and so easily
installed with the less than 3 meter connection to earth.
Plug-in protector don't even claim to provide such necessary
protection.

Dave Liquorice wrote:
...
Fuses don't protect humans, they protect the wiring. RCDs protect
humans.

Just another reason why effective protectors are located when
utilities enter the building, at the service entrance, and less than
3 meters to central earth ground.

Very few places in the UK have such protection installed there doesn't
appear to be the need.

Another reason to suspect a US based poster (that and the Path:...).
Our 230v mains doesn't suffer so badly from sags/spikes when heavy
loads are switched on/off, apart from I^2R losses inductive effects
are from the size of the current flowing not the voltage. Lower
voltage = more current for same power, more current = bigger
spikes/sags.