What are some stupid UK laws that people take advantage of all the time? – 17 regulations that need tightening
10.
‘The fact that you can get done for sleeping in your car because you’re too drunk to drive home.
It is literally criminalising the better choice, and encouraging people to instead take a chance and drive.
I know people will say “shouldn’t have got drunk in the first place then”. But you haven’t harmed anyone and, despite being drunk, you realised it would be dangerous and illegal to drive home, so you don’t, yet you will be arrested if the police find you sleeping in your car.’
-BarryFairbrother
11.
‘Planning laws.
Intention: to be able to develop our country in a sensible and sustainable way.
Actual result: massive bureaucracy that means we cannot get anything built without seven tonnes of paperwork, NIMBYs throwing up red flags, tree huggers burrowing into your construction area, and various three letter agencies adding on crazy requirements. Which of course means we don’t have enough housing and national infrastructure either cannot be built or ends up massively delayed and overbudget.’
-the-channigan
12.
‘According to 15th century document, street musicians were not allowed to play in Chester. APART from harpists. They were to be tolerated. So when I was busking, in Chester, with my harp, a policeman came along and told me I had to move on. I showed him a copy of 15th century document. It did butter no parsnips. I still had to move on.’
-Shashi2005
13.
‘That’ll be the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994
Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 gives the police power to stop gatherings of two or more people playing music with “a succession of repetitive beats”.
Ridiculous.’
-Majestic-Pen-8800
14.
‘In England and Wales the police basically have cock all powers to deal with noise complaints. If someone is having a rave until 5am and keeps you all awake because your house is shaking, tough titty. Just document it, gather evidence, inform the council who will do their own investigations before issuing a pathetic ‘notice’. The police can only be involved if the noise-makers retaliate or threaten you when asked to keep it down, or if the noise notice is flouted and ignored.
In Scotland and NI you can call the police straight away.
There was a situation near me a couple of years back where people were revving engines, honking horns etc. multiple times a week for several months (having deliberately smashed down barriers) and the police didn’t give a fuck. Didn’t even park up a marked car as a deterrent. Even though there was dangerous driving caught on CCTV and horns being used illegally in a built-up area outside of certain hours.’
-Jolly-Minimum-6641
15.
‘When they wrote the laws making smoking a much less attractive thing to do, be it through price, making packaging look ugly or not allowing them to be displayed, they seem to have only put “tobacco products” in the laws.
Then vapes come along and anyone and their nan can sell them in all the pretty colours and fancy flavours you can imagine’
-IamTheMightyMe
16.
‘The whole speeding camera and entrapment situation. TLDR: if you don’t announce a speeding camera and catch someone, it’s entrapment.
It’s so silly because when they made that law, they probably thought cameras were expensive and rare. Nowadays, every person is carrying 4 cameras and every building has coverage on every angle.’
-moon6080
17.
‘Kind of an odd question, as English common law starts with a presumption of infinite rights, then lists the things you mustn’t do. (Most of Europe operates under the opposite assumption; start with zero rights, and list what is allowed.)
So there are no English laws saying you can do something, although some forbidden things might be phrased such that exceptions are mentioned.’
-grimm_the_opiner