i'll read the rest in a minute again but 1st of all

DON'T put both reds into one terminal and a link wire, that simply strains one terminal with 3 cables in it, do it as i said and put a red in each common and then a link wire.

your pictures are a little dark (can you not use a torch to light them up).

can you take a picture of the back of the switch so we can see the actual cables coming into the box, it should be easy enough for us to tell you then but bearing in mind the idiots have done the unusual anyway.

what is the white cable you have used? i hope it's not an earth wire with tape on it. it needs to be a proper insulated cable in red.

just thought, 1 more thing, can you make a note of how the cables are connected in the other switch, that way we can match them up.

Hiya yes, the right hand switch is controlling the wall lights, have removed the blue wire from the connector and wrapped it up in tape - the wall lights still can be switched on and off... the main light now doesn't come on.

Ok, now as per your original diagram, put the 2 reds together in the right hand common terminal.. (Remove the link wire for now!)

Put the taped up blue in the left hand side Common terminal.

Please can you advise what is happening now.. one more step hopefully after this! :)

sorry, I didn't see that this problem had gone to a second page, I will split the reds up and link as you say. the linking cable is a red wire but have put the white tape on it so it is clearer. attached pix which I hope are clearer.

Havago before spltting reds and linking, we now have the wall lights working correctly could i suggest

as per your original diagram, put the 2 reds together in the right handside common terminal.. (Remove the link wire for now!)

Put the taped up blue in the left hand side Common terminal.

Please can you advise what is happening now.. one more step hopefully after this! :)

hi sk_spark
have now changed wires so
Left hand has L1=yellow, L2=blue, comm=blue
right hand has L1=yellow, comm= 2 reds
link removed

wall lights still working, main light not working

Ok now your switch is back to the orignal, just need that link wire!

Which is the question of where to put it.. as I believe if you were link righthandside common to left handside common the wall lights would work but the main light would be on permanantly...

Popping out for bit will have another look when i get back if noone else has fixed this

sorry spark i wasn't trying to jump on your help, it's a complete mess to start with and i just wanted to make sure that the terminal wasn't crammed with 3 wires plus i wanted to see which way the wires were connected in the other 2-way switch.

now we can see that the other switch does not even match the diagram he has put up for the original switch. either he made a mistake writing it down or it just happened to be that he never found out they didn't 100% switch correctly before. you can't have a yellow in common on one end and a red in common on the other, it wouldn't work.

i wreckon what some bodger has done originally is try to save cable. my thoughts as to what he has are: -

1 x 3-core & earth between the two switches for the 2-way lighting
then originally a joint box under the floor. in this joint box he has taken a live down to the switch (assume the red) and then used the other 2 cables (yellow & blue) as a live & switch wire for the wall lights.

that to me sounds illogical because he could have just used a twin and linked across the lives but i wouldn't be surprised if it was either

a) an apprentice did it
b) he had run out of T&E

if that is what he has done i would wire the following way: -

3-core that operates the ceiling light (2-way)
Common - yellow
L1 reds from both 3-core cables
L2 blue

remaining blue & yellow
yellow common
blue - L1

of course i am totally guessing

Hey no worries... your right about a mess and guessing a bit here as well I think if swaps the 2 blues over (as i think they are in wrong way round) and puts a link wire in from right hand common terminal to left hand L1 it will work?

Will draw out if not when get in...

i'm not so sure that is the way but who knows.

ooops, the shame....
when I went back to this, i realised i'd twisted it round so much taking pictures, that the comm blue wire had come out, all tightened up now and IT WORKS!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE, FOR YOUR TIME AND HELP, I couldn't have done this without you all. I havn't the faintest clue how, but the wall lights are all switching on and off on one switch, and the main lights switch on and off at both switches.
kim (that's female kim in case you were wondering, and I'm real blond, but don't hold that against me please )

Glad all working !!

i have no hair Kim so any colour would be an improvement on me. Blondes are my favourite anyway.

glad it all works now, just remember, for any other switch you ever come across, this is definitely NOT how one should be wired.