The looniest laws in the world

Here's a look at some of the more unusual laws you'll find in countries around the world, along with a few from closer to home which show that our own law-makers aren't immune to the odd brainstorm either...

In the UK:

• If someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your commode, you must let them in.


• 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.


• Placing a postage stamp with the Queen's head on it upside down is considered treason.


• It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.


• It is illegal to die while in the Houses of Parliament.


• In Carlisle, Scots found wandering around can be whipped or jailed.


• In York, Scots can still be legally shot with a bow and arrow, except on Sundays.


• In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless in public, except as a clerk in a tropical fish store.


• In London, commuters on the tube can be fined £2 for not queuing.


• In Scotland, it is against the law in Scotland to be drunk in possession of a cow.


• In Scotland, it is illegal for a boy under the age of 10 to see a naked mannequin.

In Canada:

• In Alberta, if you are released from prison, you are given a handgun with bullets and a horse so you can ride out of town.


• In King County, it is illegal to sit on a man's lap on the metro unless he is your husband.

In America:

• In Alabama, it is illegal to buy a bag of peanuts after sunset and before sunrise the next day.


• In Arkansas, a man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once a month.


• In California, it is against the law to set a mousetrap without a hunting licence.


• In Florida, owners who leave elephants at parking meters must pay the same fee as for a vehicle. And only married women are allowed to parachute on a Sunday.


• In Iowa, after making love, men are not allowed to take more than three gulps of beer while lying in bed with their partner or holding them in their arms.


• In Massachusetts, mourners are not allowed to eat more than three sandwiches each at a wake.


• In Missouri, women are prohibited from wearing corsets because "the privilege of admiring the curvaceous, unencumbered body of a young woman should not be denied to the normal red-blooded male."


• In Minnesota, it is illegal to pass a cow in Pine Island District without tipping your hat.


• In New York, having sex with a porcupine is illegal.


• In Oklahoma, anyone found making ugly faces at a dog can be fined, arrested or jailed.


• In Wisconsin, it is illegal for a man to fire a gun when his female partner has an orgasm.


• In Pueblo, Colorado, it is illegal to let dandelions grow.


• In Hartford, Connecticut, it's illegal to educate a pet dog.


• In Utah, garden birds have the right of way on all roads, and having sex in an ambulance is banned.


• In Illinois, it's illegal to sit by a fish pond in your pyjamas.


• In Sarasota, Florida, it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit, and women may be fined for falling asleep under a hairdryer.

Elsewhere in the world:

• In Belgium it is illegal to wear a red hat while walking down the main street.


• In France it is illegal to kiss on railways.


• In Germany, every office must have a view of the sky.


• In Israel, there is no legal way for a man named Cohen to marry a divorced woman.


• In Italy a man may be arrested for wearing a skirt.


• In Norway it is illegal to kill a mouse unless for consumption.


• In Russia, you are not allowed to drive a dirty car.


• In South Korea, traffic police are required to report all bribes that they receive from motorists.


• In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself while standing up after 10pm.


• In Thailand, it's illegal to drive without wearing a shirt.