"Over the centuries, rules have piled up to penalize those who fire a cannon within 300 yards of a dwelling and those who beat a carpet in the street — unless the item can be classified as a doormat and it is beaten before 8 a.m."
www.nytimes.com/2015/12/16/world/europe/britain-pares-down-silly-laws-from-salmon-handling-to-armor-wearing.html

Here a PDF debunking 'urban myths'. Mind you, it does say

It is illegal to be drunk on licensed premises.     YES
It is illegal to carry a plank along a pavement.   YES
  (now you know why Sykes/Cooper put theirs on top of a Morris Eight Series E)

www.lawcom.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Legal_Oddities.pdf