Max Demian wrote:
I would have thought it would be better to have fused sockets, then
there wouldn't be the chance of overload with multiple appliances
plugged into the socket with an unfused adapter.

The circuit breaker (or rewireable fuse) is supposed to protect the house
wiring. The plugtop fuse is to protect the appliance wiring. A fused
socket can't tell whether you plugged in a 1A appliance or a 13A appliance.
If the 1A appliance starts taking 10A its cable may melt, but a 13A fused
socket wouldn't notice. By putting a 1A fuse in the plugtop you can protect
the appliance's cable.

If you're running a multiway extension then that has a fuse in /its/ plugtop
which is matched to the maximum current the extension can handle. If you
daisy chain extensions, or plug in three kettles, that fuse should blow
before troubling the circuit breaker. There shouldn't be unfused adapters,
because then you're only relying on the circuit breaker.

If you have a removable appliance cable, like a C13 'kettle lead', the same
holds if the fuse in the plugtop is rated for the size of the cable - it's
fine to fit a 10A fuse on a C13 cable capable of carrying 10A - as long as
the appliance has its own fuse (typically at the IEC inlet) rated for its
own requirements.

Theo