Ludicrous Laws

I think the people UKTV might read my blog! After my list of stupid criminals and crimes last week they released a list of the UK's craziest laws, as voted for by 4000 members of the public. BBC online published this story yesterday. Here are the results:



The UK's top 10 most ridiculous laws:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27%)


2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen's image upside-down (7%)


3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (6%)


4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned(5%)


5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter (4%)


6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (4%)


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%)


8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (3%)


9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour (3%)


10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (2%)

And they didn't stop there, here are some crazy laws from foreign soils:

The top 10 bizarre foreign laws:

1. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk (9%)


2. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation (8%)


3. A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror (7%)


4. In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm (6%)


5. It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama (6%)


6. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed (6%)


7. Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth (6%)


8. In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits (5%)


9. There is no age of consent in Japan (5%)


10. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon (4%)