Why the Regs changed

I am sure that Jim Shears and Alan Bannon didn't want to be famous, because they are famous for being in a preventable tragedy. As they were two brave firefighters whose deaths lead to wiring safety change

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Colleagues of two firefighters who died tackling a tower block blaze have welcomed a change in wiring regulations designed to prevent a similar tragedy.

Jim Shears and Alan Bannon were overcome by excessive heat in Shirley Towers, Southampton, on 6 April 2010.

An inquest found they had become entangled in fallen cables.

A change is being made to the British Standard regulation requiring electrical cables to be mounted in metal trunking instead of plastic.

The change was recommended by coroner Keith Wiseman following an inquest into the firefighters' deaths in 2013.

Hampshire and a number of other fire and rescue services, supported by charity Electrical Safety First, had been lobbying for the change.

The change relates to regulation BS 7671, which covers electrical installations in the UK, and will apply to cables in escape routes fixed to walls and ceilings, when it comes into force in July.

Fallen cables were also highlighted as a factor in the deaths of firefighters Michael Millar and Jeff Wornham at Harrow Court in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, in February 2005.

Andy Reynolds, of the Chief Fire Officers Association, said the regulatory change was "a significant life-saving improvement".