BOILING POINT

As Boris Johnson tells Brits to ditch their ancient kettle we ask: have you got Britain’s oldest?

BORIS JOHNSON landed himself in hot water when he suggested cash-strapped householders should spend £20 on a new kettle to save £10 a year on their soaring electricity bills.

The departing PM likened replacing inefficient old kettles to the expense of a new nuclear power plant, which can save money in the long run.

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Boris Johnson landed himself in hot water for suggesting cash-strapped householders should spend £20 on a new kettle to save £10 a year on soaring electricity bills.Credit: Getty

And with 100million cups of tea drunk in Britain each day, updating your old appliance could indeed take the edge off energy bill hikes that mean boiling one litre of water will nearly double in price to 5.72p from October.

The world’s first electric kettle came out in 1891 but took up to 12 minutes to heat the water. 

Here we look at some classic old boilers over the years since then – but can you beat ’em?

AN-TEA-QUE . . . first electric kettle from 1891 was made by the US Carpenter Electric Company
CLICKED WITH CUSTOMERS . . . 1956 Russell Hobbs kettle was popular as it switched off after boilingCredit: Alamy
CHAR-MING  . . . launched in 1933, the Teasmade woke you up with a cuppa by your bedsideCredit: Alamy
FLOWER POWERED . . .  three-pint kettle with floral design is up to 50 years old
CURL UP WITH A CUPPA . . . it looks like a cross between an air-hockey paddle and a curling stone but the KE12 General Electric kettle won design awards in 1978

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BLAST OF ITS KIND . . . 1990s Morphy Richards kettle looks more like a bomb than something that could rustle up a decent brew
’SWAN HUNDRED . . .  a century-old kettle from the Birmingham-based Swan company
OFF THE BOIL . . .  travel kettles like this 17cm Boots model were a hit in 1980s but with hot drinks available everywhere now, they are no longer hot property

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