A couple have revealed their shock after discovering a broken electric socket in the kitchen of their home is actually a secret safe.

For more than two years, Darren Steels, 45, and his partner, who live in Hucknall, were bewildered by the double plug socket.

It was in a good location near the bottom of the stairs, but it had never worked since they bought the property in Bolingey Way back in July 2017 – which proved a frustration for them.

‘We tried to plug things into it,’ explained Darren. ‘It’s perfectly placed for vacuuming the stairs, instead of having the cord running across the kitchen floor.’

The socket didn’t feel loose or anything, and when the couple had decorators in to redo the kitchen soon after they moved in, nothing was flagged up.

‘People have just painted around it,’ he added.

Eventually, they decided to ask an electrician to try and sort it out and get it fixed.

‘I was just fed up with it,’ explained Darren. ‘We had an electrician come round to do some other bits and bobs and I asked him to have a look at it.

The electrician confirmed there was no current to the socket, before trying to tackle the problem in a different way.

‘He priced it open, and it came away from the wall,’ explained restaurant manager Darren. ‘And what was revealed was – a secret safe.’

Sadly, though, much to the couple’s disappointment, it wasn’t filled with cash or valuables.

‘There was just dust, fluff and a dead spider in it,’ said Darren.

After posting a video of it online on Sunday, it has racked up more than 60,000 views.

‘I have a socket that doesn’t work….absolutely checking it later!!’ wrote one Twitter user.

‘That’s both hilarious and sort of James Bond,’ commented another, while a third penned: ‘I always wanted one of those as a kid.’

A fourth joked: ‘Don’t store anything too valuable in there now. People will know!! Brilliant idea though. Alf and Audrey had one on Coronation Street.’

A further added:  ‘I remember seeing those in the Argos catalogues in the 90’s. Always wanted one.’

The safe should have a key which slots into one of the holes for the plug pins, but it was unlocked – and Darren said he didn’t have the key for it.

However, he told how he would be keeping the safe as it was, for ‘posterity’.