ELECTRIC car owners have been warned against charging their vehicles at home using regular extension leads.

Motorists risk fire, power cuts and even potentially deadly shock by charging cars with standard domestic leads, a safety charity claimed.

Conducted by Electrical Safety First (ESF), a study found three quarters of electric car owners have used multi-socket leads that aren't suitable for outdoor use to charge their vehicles.

And in many cases, drivers admitted to "daisy-chaining" multiple extension leads together to increase their reach.

Drivers put themselves at risk electric shock if cables are left in the rain, while the practice can also overload domestic supplies, causing a power cut or fire.

Owners who don't have a driveway are particularly prone to using unsuitable power leads.

Electrical Safety First’s advice for EV owners:

Charity ESF said the number of electric and plug-in cars on the road now completely outweighs the availability of charge points.

Since 2014, the number of EVs on the road has grown by over 600 per cent to just over 186,000.

Data from the Zap Map website showed there were 8,546 charging locations in the UK, with 13,688 charging devices.

And while there are just 8,400 petrol stations in the UK by comparison, the length of time taken to charge an EV compared to filling up a fuel tank means resources are stretched much thinner.

Based on a survey of 1,500 owners, research showed that 74 per cent had used multi-socket extension leads to charge from the mains in their home.

An ESF spokesman suggested that car owners instead take up a government grant available towards the cost of installing safe charge points at home.

Martyn Allen, Technical Director at Electrical Safety First, commented: “Our research shows a direct link between a lack of electric vehicle infrastructure and vehicle owners charging dangerously.

"A modern Britain also needs to be a safe one and Electrical Safety First is urging the government and local authorities to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support the rapid increase in numbers of electric vehicles on our roads.

"With regards to consumers, we warn EV users against giving in to temptation to use standard domestic extension leads to charge their vehicles outside, and never to ‘daisy-chain’ them together.

"We recommend taking advantage of the Government’s grant scheme which will contribute towards the cost of a specially designed home charging point.

"This is safer than charging from the mains, using a standard extension lead."

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