when did the new wiring colours come in
Electrical wiring in the United Kingdom The standard wiring colours in the UK are (as of 2006[update]) the same as elsewhere in Europe and follow international standard IEC 60446. This colour scheme had already been introduced for appliance flexes in the UK in the early 1970s, however the original colour scheme recommended by the IEE for fixed wiring was permitted until 2006. As a result, the international standard blue/brown scheme is as of 2006 found in most appliance flexes. In fixed wiring, the blue/brown scheme is only found in newer (post-2004) installations, and the old IEE black/red scheme is likely to be encountered in existing installations for many more decades.