Got an issue without upstairs lighting loop. Out of a total of 6 bulbs on the same circuit, two work perfectly, two flicker (mostly off with maybe one flash on per second) and two just don't work at all. All changed at some point this afternoon, no idea why. Have checked bulbs and turned off the one fan that also sits on the circuit. Have flipped the upstair RCd and the main RCDs for the house as well, no change (not too surprisingly). Anyone got any suggestions before we call an electrician out?

sounds like you need a exorcist rather than an electrician

I'm not sure how much you're legally allowed to do yourself now, but the obvious thing to check is that all the connections are screwed down properly at the switches and roses.

I'd do this during daylight hours because you'll be wanting the electric off while you poke around

Do sort it out, because electrical faults pose a fire risk.

Yeah, I've turned off the upstairs lighting ring at the RCD to avoid any risks.

Or a leaking tramp has interfered with the fuse box. You may need to check in the cupboard under the stairs.

Check for horses too, for peace of mind.

Dicky contact somewhere - I'd get the circuit tested pronto, personally. If you're up for a bit of DIY then pull down all the fittings (& roses if fitted) and check the screw terminals and the general state of the cabling. Are these regular incandescent lights or low voltage halogens? LV halos will have a transformer attached, so twice as many connections to potentially fail. Lighting circuits are usually radials, not rings btw, so it's entirely possible that there's a junction box somewhere up in the ceiling where a terminal's come loose, cutting the power to the leg that's not working but arcing just enough to make the other lights flicker.

No harm in pulling the fittings down to see if it's an obvious problem, but you really want to have a sparky check it out properly IMO.

HTH Pete

My first suggestion is check bulbs by switching them around. Eliminate the problems one by one. Once you know that the bulbs are okay, check that they are fitted properly. If the same two sockets are flickering, even with different bulbs then you might need to get the electrician in. I have been checking home insurance policies and if it is faulty it could invalidate your insurance if you know about it and do nothing. Especially as JJW009 has already pointed out it is a fire risk.

Aye, booked for an electrition to come out. I've checked all the bulbs and things, nothing seems untoward.