Use something like this along with a short extention lead. You definitely need to be able to close the plug flap.

You beat me to it. If OP needs this urgently, you can buy them in Wickes, B&Q and Wilkos, often bundled with an extension lead.

This was pretty much what stopped me fitting an exterior socket. I was looking at fitting one so that I could place the lights exactly as I wanted without having to run leads into my garage and to also make placing the lights with stupidly short leads easier.

However, when I looked into it every single outside socket had very small covers/boxes that were only designed to take a basic plug, with some apparently not really fitting those very well, and not a single one was big enough to take the transformer normally found on Christmas light plugs.

The only solution I found was what's been posted, to fit an exterior socket, plug an extension lead into that then use one of those outdoor boxes to house the extension and plug the lights into that, but doing all that was going to lead to more wires and things looking messier than just doing it the way I've done previously.

Yeh exactly what we have. Dribox with short extension. Also means we can plug multiple things into the one plug if we choose.

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Plug it in and attach a plastic bag over it as a temporary measure. If the bag gets blown of by the wind and it rains your rcd may trip. Not really recommended though.

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I've never seen what you're describing (me being in the US), but that exact construction is for safety from shock and sparks, that is, personal electrocution and home fire. You have to use that box thing to get around the life safety protection offered by the initial outlet.

Is there an actual safe way to install power receptacle(s) where you want them? Maybe these details are like this so you'll have to look at the real possibilities of fire and electrocution, though I'm sure not everyone understands why it is as it is.

If they've got a large transformer/PSU, is it rated to be outdoors?

A lot of the time, the lights are outdoor rated but the power supply itself isn't

Water isn't the only concern, temperature unfortunately is too

All the ones I’ve looked at are indoor/outdoor but have long plugs that stick out from the wall.

Be warned that if you buy this one from Amazon, it will defiantly turn up broken. I had 3 delivered before getting it in one piece.

Yeah. That was just a suggestion anyway. I’d use a brand name. And get it from Toolstation or some such.

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In fairness, the item itself was not too bad quality and it works well. But it’s made of plastic and came in a cardboard box the exact size of the item with no padding. So any pressure on the package, like being thrown in a van with 400 other items, resulted in cracked plastic.

I think you've somehow not understood what i said/what we're talking about here. They make sockets designed to be attached to the outside of your house, the actual socket is in a little weather proof box that you open, plug in whatever, then close it back over the plug to keep it safe from water etc... but the socet within that box is pretty much identical to one you would find inside a British home and you're using the same Brittish three pronged plugs into it with all the added safety benefits they give.

The problem with those, when it comes to christmas lights, is that christmas lights often have the transformer and/or the switch to control the pattern of the lights built into their plug, making the plug a lot bigger than the standard UK plug and the aformentioned external sockets are built to only accept a standard size plug, there's no extra room for a bigger than normal plug.

There would be nothing unsafe about plugging the lights into it, if only you could fit the cover down over it, they're just not made that way as the typical use for them is gardening tools etc... and to make the boxes bigger around the socket would cost them more money and reduce profits only to benefit a very small part of their potential market.

https://www.toolstation.com/bg-ip66-single-13a-socket-with-large-enclosure/p33435 this sort of thing could work. Depends on how comfortable you are changing the socket (though its much easier than wiring from scratch)

I just use an extension lead and a dribox though.

Even that doesn’t look big enough tbh. Not to mention I wouldn’t trust myself not to set my house on fire through faulty wiring!