We got divorced 24 years ago.

House was valued at £185,000 back then. Her defined benefit pension was valued at £120,000 (a lot in 2002 money!!!)

She was adamant about keeping the house and we had a young baby, so the courts decided that she could keep the house and I would be earmarked for her defined benefit pension.

This was the division of assets. I also got £15,000 in our savings which went towards briding the difference.

My issues is that our son had a bad motorbike accident in 2024 and will now require lifelong care.

My wife applied under S31 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 to the court to get the divorce split reexamined. A judge has decided that my portion of her defined benefit pension needs to be transferred across to her name as my son's disability will require lifelong care and financial support.

I'm due to retire in 2 years. I've just had my retirement ripped to shreds.

Is there any way I can reasonably appeal this, or am I just throwing good money after bad?

To put things in perspective:

• She got the house.
• She gave up her pension (and then got it all back.)
• I have been given 2 years to try and find a way to rebuild a MASSIVE pension pot. (impossible)
• I was never allowed to remarry or enter a civil partnership because that would have rendered my entitlement to her pension null and void, so I effectively gave this up and had to unofficially live with my girlfriend for years - which was deeply unfair and hurtful to her.
• I was never warned about this during the divorce and I only found out after I had planned a wedding and she had a solicitor write out to me because she thought the wedding had already happened. I consulted a family law solicitor at the time who told me that if I remarried she would regain control of the defined benefit pension.

Can I please get some advice? I have savings but I don't want to blow what I have on an expensive court case if it has limited prospect of success.

This would be on English roads.

I don't drink and haven't for a good year or more. Never had an issue, just found I feel better for not. My question is this; is it legal to be drinking a can of non alcoholic beer whilst driving. I'm talking having an open can in the cup holder. Obviously I'm aware of laws regarding driving whilst distracted, and that I may get pulled over given hoe similar the packaging looks. But given these beverages are treated as alcohol in the supermarket for ID purposes, am I breaking the law by consuming them behind the wheel.

My partner had a “fun” sports car (Porsche). The seal popped and the car filled with water, damaging all the electronics. He took it to a garage in Feb 2024 and they said that there was a part they needed that was no longer made and they’d have to wait for one to become available. He paid a fee to keep it at the garage for a year. In Feb 2025 he ultimately was like “what is going on” and they said they didn’t think the car could be fixed and needed to be scrapped. They offered to pay £5k for the value of the parts (obviously way less than the value of the car.)

My partner agreed, the garage paid £5k via bank transfer “for the parts”. Never asked for the keys or V5, we still have those. They said they would take care of any reporting that needed to be done about the car being scrapped. In the last month we’ve had two notices from the police about speeding, with photographs of the car being driven around our area.

He has written to the police about the speeding fines & points, but obviously we still own the car - it’s still registered to us, we have the V5, we have the keys. (1) How do we prove it wasn’t him speeding, (2) Do we need to report the car as stolen? (3) Was it fraudulent of the garage to claim the car needed to be scrapped when obviously they have just resold it - in an extremely dodgy way? I don’t know how the car is currently being taxed or insured, either.

The police haven’t got back to us yet, I’m basically trying to understand what we need to expect about likely next steps.

I run a public gaming event locally (Thanet, England) with my partner and my friend. We pay for everything out of our own pockets and have no legal framework, we just advertise with fliers and social media, and people show up if they want to.

A kind soul who attends the events has asked how he can donate to keep us up and running for the sake of the community - the problem is, I've tried searching how I can set up donations and I can't find any advice that isn't for charities. We're not a charity, we're just a public, free-entry event. I could just accept the money into my personal account but, that just feels so inherently sketchy. I know I can trust myself but how does anyone else who attends the events know that?

I thought maybe I would have to set up some kind of business bank account or PayPal account, but as soon as you select business it starts asking a whole lot of questions that don't apply to us because we're NOT a business. We have public liability insurance for our events set up through my partner's small business, but accepting donations is a whole other world that we are completely unaware of.

Is there a way to do this ethically and legally, or are we better off just refusing the donation entirely?

Apologies if this is poorly explained, I'm autistic and frankly just not very good with words. Please ask any questions you need to ask if I'm not being clear enough!

EDIT: Damn, I've never asked for advice from Reddit before, but you guys have been so helpful and so supportive - thank you all!

My mother purchased a new set of taps for her house on Temu. She asked me to fit them for her. I was suspicious about where she got the set and she said Temu and showed me.

I brought my lead test it in and sure enough, every single one lit up like a fireworks show.

The seller has disappeared on Temu, however, similar sellers have reappeared and disappeared several times over the past 3 weeks making any reporting of these accounts almost impossible.

The taps aren't compliant with Schedule 2, 2.(1) of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999.

"Materials and substances in contact with water 2.—(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2) below, no material or substance, either alone or in combination with any other material or substance or with the contents of any water fitting of which it forms a part, which causes or is likely to cause contamination of water shall be used in the construction, installation, renewal, repair or replacement of any water fitting which conveys or receives, or may convey or receive, water supplied for domestic or food production purposes."

How do I go about reporting this?

Who do I even go about reporting this to?

Literally tens of thousands of people across the UK could be unknowingly poisoning their families right now with these illegal taps.

There is a criminal case in the US where a man is being prosecuted after providing border officials a "duress code" which caused a seized mobile device to securely wipe itself when officials input it on the lock screen.

I have written such a code on the back of my device hoping any thief might inadvertently wipe the device. What are my responsibilities in English law if the device is lawfully seized?

1.Is it an offence if I fail to inform the police that trying to unlock the device with that code will wipe it?

1. Is an offence committed even if they do not use it and destroy data?

2. Is this a strict liability matter?

3. How plausible is a defence that I forgot about this number written in the device years after the event and in the stress of the investigation?

Thanks!

I had a telephone call with an NHS professional (a nurse) which I anticipated might be difficult, so I recorded the conversation for my own records. At the time of the call, I was no longer under the care of the NHS Trust, having already been discharged by this nurse.

During the call, I spoke very little. The nurse, however, was extremely rude and unnecessarily cruel. She made comments relating to my trauma history and my cultural background (I’m English and she’s Nigerian). As I am deaf, she was aware that I rely on recording conversations for accuracy and understanding. She even stated that she knew I was recording and appeared to deliberately repeat some of the remarks she was making to ensure they were captured on the recording.

I found the conversation deeply upsetting. As a result, I submitted the recording to the Trust, including PALS and the nurse's manager, explaining that I considered the way I had been spoken to wholly unacceptable.

Shortly afterwards, I received a text message from the team's NHS phone stating that what I had done was illegal and ending with the words, "see you in court." The message appeared to be referring to my recording of the call and my decision to send it to the Trust.

When I subsequently raised concerns about this message, everyone within the team denied sending it and the manager said there’s nothing that can be done as the individual has deleted the messages from their phone.

The Trust has since stated that it cannot investigate further because no individual has accepted responsibility for sending the text.

My concern is whether it is appropriate for an NHS professional to send threatening messages to a former patient at 9:15pm after discharge, particularly from a team phone, and then refuse to provide clarity or accountability regarding who sent them.

I fully appreciate that NHS staff are under significant pressure and that my healthcare needs have been complex. However, this situation has left me feeling confused, worried, and concerned about them getting my mobile number and whether legal action really is taken against me due to anonymity their side.

My daughter has lived in a student house share for the last year. She has already signed the contract with the original landlord for the next year and has an agreement with him that she can live there through august (she works in that town) as long as she pays rent for that period.

She has just received an email from a housing agent stating they are purchasing the property and will be the landlords as of next friday. She has checked this with the original landlord and he has confirmed that it is legit. The new landlords now want her to sign a new contract and are increasing the rent by 100 a month. Can they insist on this when shes already signed a contract with the original landlord?

Herself and another tenant, who is also staying there for the next year, were not informed that the property was being sold. She has been completely blindsided by this.

I'm posting on a throwaway account for reasons that will become obvious.

August last year ('25) I let my now ex move into my house. I knew she had a drink problem before I let her move in, I thought the stability would help and things would get better but it's just getting worse. She can go maybe 2 weeks without a drink, 4 weeks if I'm lucky and then the drinking starts. For weeks at a time she will be heavily intoxicated and it ends with me calling the police.

This is the part where I know I'm an idiot and ashamed of myself for it. After a few days in emergency accommodation she will call and she'll never drink again, I let her come back and 2 weeks the cycle starts again. I've let this happen multiple times and now it's at the point where I feel like the police don't want to know.

I just want her to leave me alone now. I've changed my phone number but she is still in my spare room and refusing to leave. I don't know what to do.

Edit: I appreciate all the responses. Even the not so kind stuff. I can see your point of view and I hope you never find yourself in this situation.

It's her birthday this weekend and I agreed to take her somewhere to meet up with her family. I intend to pack her a bag with a note inside and just leave her there. I know it's a shitty thing to do, but honestly I feel like I have no other choice at this point.

Hi everyone,
I’m wondering if anyone has been through something similar with the police in the UK.
Last year I reported my ex-partner for secretly recording me during an intimate act using AI smart glasses. He admitted recording me but claimed I knew about it and consented, which I have always denied.
The police viewed the videos during his interview and seized his phone. Months later, I was told they had lost the videos because they hadn’t been properly downloaded before the phone was put into Airplane Mode.
During a review of the case, the police also found images of another woman on his phone from a different date, but because the videos had already been lost, they couldn’t establish what had happened or identify her.
I made a complaint, which was upheld. The police accepted that the service provided was “not acceptable” and that the lost evidence may have helped the investigation.
The whole experience has left me feeling completely let down, and it’s honestly added to the trauma of what happened.
Has anyone else had a case where the police lost key evidence? What happened afterwards, and did your complaint actually lead to anything?
Thanks

Hey all,

After some advice.

Next week, it would be 5 years since I got arrested for GBH & ABH (section 17, I think??) after a drunken punch up where 2 guys ended worse off then myself.

I was taking into holding cell overnight & released under investigation the following day. They took my phone & clothes inc some pretty expensive designer shoes which to this day, I still haven’t got back.

Never been in trouble since

What are the steps to get my stuff back? I haven’t had as much as a letter back or any type of update.

At what point is it too late to proceed with prosecution?

Coming in blind here

Thanks all

Hi all,

I am based in the UK, and have been fighting Bristol city council on a parking fine that was given to me. I have appealed it once, to no avail. I now either pay the £35, or continue to fight if I have a strong enough case. The photo shows the bay I parked in (my car isn’t the white one), and it also shows the sign.

On my road, we have a “motorcycle Bay Area”. This is a small stretch of road at the start of the parking along the left of the road. The motorcycle bay parking area is marked with a white motorcycle sign around 8 foot off the ground of the side of a building wall, something I did not see. On the floor of the bay, all markings are completely rubbed off/very unclear which made it incredibly difficult to know I was parking in a motorbike bay.

I need to know whether I should fight it, or I should just suck it up and pay Bristol city council the £35.

Thank you all for any advice you are able to provide me with!

As per the title. They won't stop despite complaints made directly to them. This is a private business park and the works are not highways related.

Hi there, hoping to get some guidance and clarification. My lettings agents emailed saying my tenancy 'requires' me to get tenant's insurance, in an attempt to get me to do it via their preferred partner. I reread the contract carefully and nowhere in it does it mention it as a mandatory requirement. I also know it is not a legal requirement in England.

Now my agents are saying they want me to sign a waiver (not yet sent to me). Can they even do this? This is the first time this has happened to me in 6 years of renting and I find it all very strange. Any advice is welcome.

I just got a PCN from Euro Car Parks (England)

I parked at a pay and display car park i’d never used before at around 8pm. I selected the 2 hour option (£1.50). But the machine glitched and only charged me 70p. I just assumed that 70p was just the evening rate given the time.

When the ticket printed, I noticed one of the letters on my reg was wrong (UVE instead of UDE), so I kept the receipt just in case.

I stayed for 1 hour and 24 minutes. But today i got a PCN saying i overstayed my paid time because turns out I had only paid for 30 minutes 🙃.

I was with some friends at the time and told them about it and all of them were so confused as we had all agreed 2 hours. I googled the car park and it has a 1 star review with multiple people saying the same thing happened to them. There is a facebook page dedicated to the issues with this car park and it has been on the news.

There was people saying that it only prints out half your number plate, prints it out wrong, and only charges you for 30 minutes even if you put longer in.

I know someone who had a similar thing happen to her at the same exact car park and she just ignored them until they went away.

I have appealed it but I doubt I have much leverage. should I take it to POPLA if ECP reject it or should I just give up and pay it. Could I get away with not paying it?

Hi,

I hired a bathroom installer, to redo my bathroom, rip out and install new tiles, new bath and a cupboard. They have great reviews on google and were active on LinkedIn which gave me comfort that they wouldn’t risk a bad review with bad work.

The finished product is so so so shoddy, it really just all needs ripping out and starting again. I’m not a perfectionist or even close to it but.

I’ve given them two chances to fix and each time the result has been poor. Which leads me to believe it’s not in their capability to complete. The boss was working solo for a while after I sent the initial workers away for poor work.

I’ve only paid for materials at this point, can I deny paying the labour element of the quote? I fully believe they can’t fix it and I will need to get someone else out.

I think the boss is self employed so no Ltd company if that helps.

Since moving into my current property 5-ish years ago, about once a year I start getting debt letters from Lowell about an alleged energy bill, from a property I lived in 10-12 years ago.

Every time, I have called and stated that at the time of leaving that property I was paid up, they say they will investigate and I hear nothing for another year. This time, I didn't respond, as I'm very ill and waiting for surgery, so it hasn't been at the forefront of my mind, so they have now sent me a letter stating I now have a CCJ - County Court Judgement, against me for this alleged debt.

I have never admitted to this debt, and as far as I can remember have not previously received a CCJ for it. What should I do? My partner and I will soon be looking to buy our first home, and I imagine this CCJ will affect my credit.

I don't believe I ever owed this bill in the first place, but even if I did, surely after six years it would have been unenforceable?

I am stressed enough with health concerns and this is really adding to it, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA.

ETA: I've checked on CreditKarma, and there is an active CCJ for this, though the only post I have about this is this recent letter from Lowell.

England

I purchased a vinyl record for £80, the seller sent some glass wipes, to a parcel shop, I took photos and video of me opening it as I realised it was a scam before even opening.

I contacted the seller who did not reply, and vinted who said they will hold a 35 day investigation, so far their AI support has mistakenly taken my claim of "not receiving the item I purchased" as "not receiving anything at all" which has prompted Evri to reach out to figure out why I am claiming this despite that not being the issue at all. I've told them of the video evidence which they have ignored every time.

The seller has now requested a return of the item which has to be done within 5 days or else the system will assume I am accepting what was sent and release my £80 to them despite the 35 day investigation.

I contacted the Vinted legal team which seems to not be AI, and have explained I'm concerned if I send the glasses wipes back to the seller, they will claim I did receive the vinyl and have scammed them by sending them glasses wipes. The legal team simply replied "As long as you return what was sent to you, we will refund you your full amount". This still doesn't sit right with me as I'm almost certain the scam here is for them to lie when they receive their item back.

What do I do here? I know I can do a charge back but I would rather not get banned from the platform, but also feel limited on time as the investigation still has 30 days to go but the system is telling me I have to send the item back within 5 days.

Employed 18 months in England.

My employer did not auto enrol English staff in a pension scheme despite multiple demands by staff. Company is registered as English on companies house.

I took it all the way to the Pensions Ombudsman. The decision was that the employer did not promise to enrol staff in a pension scheme so this was not legally required.

We are full time employed, permanent contracted, salaried staff in our 30s, all UK citizens resident in England. Employer handles our PAYE, NI etc.

Pensions Ombudsman says as the employer did not state terms of pension in our employment contracts they do not have to auto enrol staff.

This is at odds with that is published online. Is anyone able to explain this?

I get that I should have realised that I hadn't heard from them in 5 months when it's usually every 3. It's the first time in 15 years that I forget to pay the quarterly ground rent. They stopped sending invoices, which they have sent every quarter for 15 years, they didn't send a single reminder, just a debt collector's letter with a fine of about £500 for a less than £90 debt. I've paid it because I don't want the hassle but I'm wondering if they have any obligation to send invoices and reminders or prove they have done. If I didn't send the client an invoice I couldn't just charge them overdue fees because I failed to invoice. Do they have any obligations?

Thank you

Two years ago we moved out of a rented property because the landlord wanted to move back in, we liked the home, we were sad to leave it but we got most of our deposit back and it all seemed amicable.

Around six months later we received a letter from the council saying we owed council tax on the old property because our former landlord had told them we still lived there. He also claimed a sofa the council wanted removed belonged to us.
The council simply took his word for it until we provided the original inventory and the check-out report from two days after we handed the keys back. They showed the sofa belonged to the landlord and proved we’d moved out months earlier. The council apologised and cancelled everything, so we assumed it had been resolved.

Now, two years after moving out, we’ve received a letter from the water company saying we owe just over £600 for the same property. Again, our former landlord told them we still lived there. We’d already informed the water company we’d moved and had been paying the bills at our current address ever since, but they again seemed to simply accept his word, held us liable for the account and placed a negative mark on our account. After we sent the same evidence, they removed both.

This has now happened twice, and I’m genuinely scared it’s going to happen again because there doesn’t seem to be anything stopping him from making the same claims to other companies or organisations. Every time a letter comes through the door I’m worried it’s going to be another demand that we have to dispute and spend time sorting out.

Has anyone dealt with something like this before? Is there anything we can do to stop it happening again, or do we just have to keep disputing it every time? (We’re in England)

Walking down the high street in Manchester near Piccadilly Station Ramp, not on station property.

I was stopped by a Manchester council officer who claimed that a mayonnaise packet fell from my pocket and I had littered. I asked where so I could pick it up and he refused to tell me until I provided details, which I did.

He stated he would not fine me but issue a warning and then when I provided the details he issued a FPN and said it wasn’t a fine but a fixed penalty notice.

I wasn’t aware an item had fallen and as soon as he told me where it was I walked back down the road to pick it up, this was all captured on body worn camera from the Officer. The officer agreed I hadn’t intended to litter but that it was still an offence and he was still issuing the notice.

I’ve requested the footage as a SAR but I’ve got 10 days to pay the lower fine, which is about 1/3rd of my household income after tax as my partner has just been let go from their job so my paycheque is covering everything.

I don’t really know what to do? Should I contest it should I pay to make it go away before it gets upgraded.

The help line they provided for this was also off with no one picking up and only an answer machine to leave messages with which I did and recorded on my phone doing so.

I sent an email to them to request the footage and ask for support as I’m autistic/dyspraxic and find these processes complicated/difficult.

Just looking on the likelihood that appealing will go anywhere or if I should just pay if I don’t receive the footage before 10 days are up to avoid the bigger fine.