House had a fitted wardrobe with what looked like detached wall lights hidden away. Turns out they’re live ish. Disconnect/cut an all lights upstairs don’t work. In loft can follow two cables from wall light to the mess pictures. Disconnecting all stops upstairs lights working. Disconnecting live and upstairs lights are working but restart says they’re still live. I’m stumped and struggling to get someone over to sort it. Any advice? Friday morning plasterer will be here so under pressure.
If your under pressure you need to isolate the power disconnect, pull them up into the loft and then temporarily reconnect. Then get a sparky in asap to sort out the mess.
Cancel the plasterer and wait for a pro before you do some serious damage. That is a fire waiting to happen.
Ordinarily, I’d say just plaster over it and the spark will be able to work out which wires drop down for the wall lights, and then join them in the loft instead. However, you’ll almost certainly be quicker and cheaper doing what @Ind spark says (if you are able to), as the wiring in the loft will take some time to work out. Alternatively, as @Bazza-spark says, delay the plasterer. Either way, you need a spark to fix what’s in the loft.
I don't think you have the tools and the test gear to sort that out in a sufficiently safe way, and as it is its not safe at all. I'm with Bazza Spark, cancel plasterer, get electrician round. In the mean time don't touch it!!
Under the circumstances, I’d suggest you let the plasterer go ahead, but get him to leave the area directly around the exposed cables. Then get an electrician in as soon as you can to disconnect those wires and make it safe, then simply apply a bit of filler over the holes when the wires have been made safe and removed. It won’t be too difficult to blend in the filler to match the new plaster on such a small area.
Thank you. This or pulling cables up into loft and re connecting seem like my only options. Thanks to everyone for commenting and advising. Takes years to learn how to be an electrican, I respect that. I’m not happy to be having a go. I had an electrician lined up but he let me down and failed to turn up two days in a row only to tell me he can’t do it now. I should have read his reviews online first.
Sorted it myself via advice from an electrician that couldn’t see me today. There was a neutral going off from 2nd wall light. It needed to be connected to the connector sending neutral to the first wall light. All wall light cables removed and ready for plaster. Plasterer then calls to reschedule for next week!! Didn’t need to stress or rush but a lesson learned in lighting.