Top 10 British Stupid Laws – Thou Shalt Not Die

I talked about some strange and funny American laws, one reader commented with some stupid laws from Canada. I am yet to get comment on stupid British laws!

I believe every country has its own share of stupidity in creating laws. 🙂

justice statueWell, UKTV Gold thought of testing what people think about the stupid law in UK. Their survey gave the following Top Ten stupid Laws in UK:

  1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)
  2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)
  3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)
  4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)
  5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)
  6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet (four percent)
  7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)
  8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)
  9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)
  10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)

If you come across similar stupid laws from other countries please share them in the comment section.

Thanks.

38 thoughts on “Top 10 British Stupid Laws – Thou Shalt Not Die

  1. In New Orleans there was once a municipal charge: “Being out and about in the open air.” Also: “Systematically looking at vehicles.”

  2. Daftest one I ever heard was that it’s a crime to smoke in a pub. How ridiculous can you get?!

  3. The reason you cant die in parliament, is that if you do they have to give you some kind of special funeral that cost a ton of money. I have heard cases where theyll bring people outside to proclaim them dead.

    • Its not legal anymore. When it became public knowledge a lot of women took the piss out of officers so they removed it. But a woman can use any toilet at any establishment without having to be a customer

    • No they are very real. Most have good reason to ever have been put in place once upon a time. They are marked as useless so if someone decided to kill a welshman in the city of chester after midnight he would still be prosecuted. Its a long proccess removing laws I dont think they bother

  4. ^ ^ no these laws are actually real, they are a bit outdated in some cases, but they were never actually repealed There is lots more ridiculous laws, like the one that says it is illegal to call a welsh person english, welsh people are also not allowed to enter the city of chester before sunrise and stay after sunset, and an englishman is allowed to shoot a welsh person inside the walls of chester city with a crossbow aslong as it is after midnight.
    Its just a case of people forgetting to remove laws from the books when they no longer served a purpose

  5. theres a law that states you can kill a black man if he crosses your path, but only with the back of your hand, or the backside of your lower leg

  6. theres a law that states you can kill a black man if he crosses your path, but only with the femur of another black man

  7. ^^ It is not illegal to carry hay in the back of a taxi….
    There is still a law that hackney carriage drivers have that states…
    London Hackney Carriages (taxis/cabs) must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats. Explanation: The London Hackney Carriage Laws covers hackneys in other towns too and have remained unaltered for over 100 years. Firms have been known to manufacture very small bales of hay to carry in a taxi during disputes during local councils (who license the hackneys everywhere except London). Also the vehicle has to be tethered at a taxi rank, and the council have to supply a water trough at said ranks (that could be fun on a Saturday night!). The one about urinating against the back wheel is a Hackney Carriage Law too, and has also been done, on mass, during taxi/council disputes (allegedly).

  8. you got that one wrong. its actually that it is law that a london hackney must carry a bale of hay at all times.
    its an outdated law from when all transport was horse-drawn.

    • And a taxi driver must ask if someone is carrying the plague before allowing them in the taxi. No part of that law was ever stupid

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