Welcome back to 2002

Yep my childhood

Checked the plug, there was no fuse to begin with so I popped in a 3 Amp fuse in and voila! Works perfectly

What is the purpose of the fuse?

@dor123: The fuse in the plug is to protect the appliance/fixture from any surges or faults that occur within the appliance/fixture (unfused lamp, electrical short etc) or from incoming power surges from the mains supply. British mains plugs have the fuse built into them as additional safety precaution that is unique

It was originally due to the ring circuits we started installing in the 1940's onwards to save on copper after the war. That meant a higher fuse (and later breaker) rating at the consumer unit/DB so plugs are fused to protect the flex and appliance at a lower current rating with rings usually fused at 30/32A at the DB.
Of course it also makes sense for such small appliances to be fused down anyway, an item like this will never need anything more than the 3A fuse protecting it in the plug, relying on the 16A? breaker behind the socket in a European installation to protect a thin bit of flex always seems a bit off to me.