Very old appliances may have different colours in the flex. Examples of these are shown here.
These colours have not been used in flexes for over 30 years, so any appliance with these colours in the flex is likely to be very old. It should be checked before use, as it is more likely to have sustained damage.
Very old appliances may not meet modern safety standards.
The Black wire connects to the terminal marked N or Neutral.
The Red wire connects to the terminal marked L or Live
The Green wire connects to the terminal marked E or Earth.
Older appliances are likely to be Class I (with an earth wire), however if they are Class II, there is no connection to the Earth terminal.