It is commonly known that there are some laws in the UK that are considered outdated and old fashioned, and slowly, over time, these are being overturned. But, there are some really strange laws out there, ones that we have probably already broken! Luckily, these laws are not the most pressing to be policed.
According to section 60 of the Metropolitan Police Act of 1839, it is an offence to beat and clean a doormat in the street after 8am. So, for those who do want to give their doormat a good dusting, they will have to get up at the crack of dawn to do so - unless they want a £500 fine!
Apparently, it is illegal to handle salmon in a ‘suspicious circumstance’. You would think that this may be a law from the days of yore. But actually, this was from the 1986 Salmon Act, which was put in place to regulate salmon fishing in the UK. Of course, this does sound strange at first, as how could you handle salmon suspiciously? The law then goes on to say that it is put in place for people to keep an eye out if salmon is being fished illegally, as the offender may be acting suspiciously in the process of fishing and disposing of the salmon.
Another unusual law that has recently been put in place was the Polish Potatoes Order in 2004. It became illegal to import polish potatoes into the UK due to the outbreak of ring rot in Poland. If you were planning on importing polish potatoes there is a stringent application process as well as a ring rot test certificate that needs to be provided.
The British pub is a classic staple of society, a place where it is acceptable to convene any day of the week. From pints to peanuts, it is an anglo experience that not many other places can replicate. Yet, despite many of us choosing to get merry down the local with our friends, it is actually against the law to be drunk. According to Section 12 of the Licensing Act in 1872, every person found drunk in a public place, whether a building or licensed premises would be fined up to £200.
If you are trying to think of new ways to get yourself into the Royal Family, especially after Prince Harry and Williams marriages, don’t enlist the help of your beloved pet. It turns our that allowing your pet to mate with a royal pet without the families permission is a punishable offence! So, keep your precious pooch away from those corgis.
We hope you have enjoyed reading and learning about these five unusual laws in the UK. Though we may not be able to assist with cases concerning these, at Hawley and Rodgers we have a range of expert lawyers based in Nottingham that can handle a variety of cases from family law to wills and commercial law. You can contact us today to see how we can help you.