32 Laws You Could Be Breaking

Senior Associate in Dispute Resolution and Litigation Danielle Clements has been featured in the Daily Express on ‘The 32 Everyday Laws You Could be Breaking’.

The article gives a list of 32, so-called ‘small laws’ that the average Brit can break without knowing however as Danielle comments below some of these laws are far from small and benign. By breaking some of these laws you could in fact face very serious consequences.

Below are Danielle’s comments along with the list of laws featured in the Daily Express

“People are often surprised by what is legal and illegal,” says Danielle Clements, senior litigation lawyer at Gorvins Solicitors in Manchester.

Clements says: “Some of these laws can make people accidental law breakers without even knowing it. For example it’s important not to throw trimmings from an overhanging tree back into a neighbour’s garden without seeking consent first. This could be deemed to be fly tipping. And using a neighbour’s unsecure Wi-Fi connection without their knowledge could lead to criminal charges .

“On the other hand some of these so called ‘small’ laws are in fact not small at all. For example, offences such as driving through a red light, using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt and speeding are all motoring offences and can result in serious consequences for the offender.”

To read the full article on the Daily Express click here

For more information or to speak to Danielle for comment on this, contact the press team on 0161 930 5278 or e-mail paul.longmire@gorvins.com

The 40 small laws the Average Briton commits each year without even knowing

1 Drank alcohol under the age of 18 

2 Sworn or gestured to other road users

3 Eaten or drank while driving 

4 Vacuumed between the hours of 6pm and 8am on a weekday or 1pm and 8am on a Saturday or on a Sunday

5 Parked partly on a pavement

6 Cycled on pavements

7 Speeding while driving 

8 Pocketed change when given wrong amount

9 Beeped a horn for any reason other than alerting traffic 

10 Been drunk on the street, in a pub or in a restaurant

11 Changed a CD while driving 

12 Had sex in a public place

13 Bought cigarettes under the age of 18 

14 Dropped litter

15 Took illegal drugs 

16 Disturbed people by ringing their doorbells/ knocking at their doors and leaving before being answered (or playing knock, knock, ginger, also known as knock down ginger)

17 Not worn a seatbelt during a car journey

18 Flown a kite in a park

19 Used a fake name on the internet 

20 Stuck on a postage stamp upside down

21 Used a mobile phone while driving 

22 Cycled without lights after dark

23 Parked on double yellow lines on a street 

24 Drove through a red light

25 Not paid for a carrier bag at a self-service check-out 

26 Had sex when you were under 16

27 Not had a TV licence and watched TV 

28 Used someone else’s wi-fi without them knowing

29 Smoked in a non-smoking area 

30 Threw tree cuttings back into your neighbours’ garden

31 Claimed an item at the self-service till without paying for it 

32 Taken a child out of school for a holiday without the head teacher’s permission

33 Not informed the DVLA of a change of name or address 

34 Not cleaned up after your dog has pooed on the street/ public path

35 Cycled through a red light 

36 Fiddled your expenses

37 Sung or chanted a crude football chant in the street 

38 Went fishing without a licence

39 Parked opposite a junction 

40 Put make-up on while driving