3 bizarre laws you might have already broken in the UK without realizing it

Did you know that it is an offence to get drunk in local pub? This may sound counterintuitive seeing as most people go to pubs to drink, but Section 12 of the Licensing Act 1872 states that anyone found drunk ‘on any licensed premise’ is liable for a penalty. So now you know! Here are three such laws that may not make sense in modern life, but you could still get in trouble if you break them.

Singing happy birthday

A birthday celebration isn’t complete without a cake and a chorus of ‘Happy birthday to you’ song. However, doing this in public could land you in trouble. And, its illegality has nothing to do with the noise it may be generating. Experts at law firm, Dunner Law explain why singing this song in public could amount to a copyright violation:

While many believe that this iconic song was created out of folk tradition, the song’s origins can be traced back to two sisters who created it in the early 1890’s. The song is now owned by Warner/Chappell Music, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group, one of the largest music publishers in the world.

Well, not everyone agrees that a company should be receiving licensing fees for the song which stands at about $2 million every year. It is being challenged in court and until it is resolved, you might want to avoid singing the song in public or switch to another celebratory song.

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Looking after cattle while drunk

Subsection 3 of section 54 in the Metropolitan Police Act 1839 makes it illegal in the UK to tend to cattle while drunk. An article in the Chronicle Live explains that this prohibition covers any ‘mischief, misbehaviour and negligence’ in driving a herd of cattle through town. A blogpost on the website of Coventry University adds that it is also illegal to operate a cow or horses and carriages when drunk.

Boys and naked mannequins

Another weird law that you may not be aware of is that in Scotland, it is considered illegal for boys under the age of 10 to see a naked mannequin while out shopping. A relic from the ‘decency laws’ of yore, this was one of the rules put in place to prevent ‘corrupting’ the minds of young people, according to Chronicle Live.

Sources used:

Chronicle Live: Eight weird laws you might have broken in the UK without knowing

Dunner Law: Do I Need to Pay Someone to Sing “Happy Birthday To You”?