Ms H was having a problem with her fire alarm that was repeatedly beeping, and so keeping her (and it transpired her nearest neighbour) awake. My initial hope that this could be an easy fix by a battery replacement came to an end when it was clear the detector was mains powered, sealed and connected to a network of others in her flat.

Silently thanking once again the inventors of the internet, iPhone and google - I stood in her living room and looked up the brand to see if there was a troubleshooting section that might help - there was, and it recommended pressing the test button for 10 seconds to reset the system. I explained to Ms H the plan and we agreed to give it a go.

12 (I miscounted) ear piercing seconds later, I released the button whilst perched at the top of her stepladder and we both stood and hoped for silence. We started having a chat and after about 10 minutes we both realised the machine had stopped it's beeping.

I did have to say to her that if it started again she'd need to call upon an electrician or someone more familiar with the set up to take a look as I'd reached the limit of my electrical knowhow. She thanked me for my help, I held my fingers crossed and left hoping that she had an uninterrupted night's sleep ahead of her.