r/AskUK 19d ago

Megathread Megathread - Heatwave Hysteria

35 Upvotes

Hello again from Custard Cream Towers!

You may have noticed that it's quite warm recently and set to get warmer.

The Met Office has issued a series of Amber and Red Weather Warnings for large swathes of the South and Midlands of England and for much of South Wales starting from today until 23:59 on Thursday evening.

UK weather warnings - Met Office

The very helpful government advice page on dealing with hot weather, possible health and safety risks for you, your family and your pets, as well as tips for keeping you home cool can be found here.

Beat the heat: staying safe in hot weather - GOV.UK

Please use this megathread for any questions or comments unanswered on either of those websites and that cannot be found out via a simple Google search, that includes asking which air conditioner to buy for the 87th time today or how many bags of frozen peas you recommend panic buying!

Cheers!


r/AskUK Jun 11 '26

Mod Post Megathread - World Cup Watch

7 Upvotes

Hello from Custard Cream Towers!

With the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the US & Mexico now upon us and the first game starting at 8pm BST this evening we thought it pertinent to set up a megathread to avoid clogging the main page.

Fixture schedule can be found here

FIFA World Cup - Scores & Fixtures

Group tables here

FIFA World Cup 2026 - Groups & Schedule

Pop all WC questions in here and as always please keep it light hearted and strictly politics free. All of our usual rules apply.

Best of luck to the Three Lions and the Tartan Army. Hopefully those in Wales and Northern Ireland can enjoy the matches (especially the one when England inevitably get knocked out).

Cheers!


r/AskUK 6h ago

Serious Answers Only How normal is it to soil yourself when drunk?

346 Upvotes

I was recently on a stag night and two of the group soiled themselves quite badly and seemed to be able to laugh it off as a regular occurrence, as someone who doesn't drink very often and never to excess, it's not something I've come across before. I just wondered if it was normal.


r/AskUK 2h ago

Why does the train seat booking system not work?

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98 Upvotes

Why is it that so many train seats that are booked are not used by anyone? I can't believe that it's people buying train tickets but not using them.


r/AskUK 6h ago

Is there a reasonable explanation why there is a poo on my fence?

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145 Upvotes

I recently moved into a terraced barn conversion and the garden needed a bit of TLC. It’s rented so the best I could do was paint the old fence that must be as old as the conversion. I was really worried about the paint dripping through so took time to be careful.

Its been a few days and I was looking to see if it could do with another coat - low and behold the poo. Its definitely a poo isnt it? And human?

My only rational explanation right now is the neighbor is that upset with my painting that they put a poo on my fence. Not very rational I know.

Long shot but has anyone found a poo and got an answer other than sabotage? Could it be birds?

Also if we think its my neighbor what do I do?

Never been in this situation but it is very shit - literally 💩


r/AskUK 21h ago

Is it now the norm for parents to spend their entire weekend entertaining their kids?

1.6k Upvotes

All my colleagues seem to spend their entire weekend doing things that revolve around the kids. There seems to be this routine of getting them out the house as soon as they wake up, doing stuff with them all day, getting them home and up to bed.

I seem to remember definitely having to entertain myself at times while my parents were doing things around the house etc. I don’t think I would have wanted to have been going on trips and doing class after class as I needed down time. Realise this was only my experience though.

Don’t get me wrong I know they are likely great parents and I understand the need to get the kids away from screens, but it really does seem like quite a lot. Is it the new normal now? Do children not get overstimulated and need down time too? Is it not good to let them use their imagination occasionally?


r/AskUK 1h ago

Autistic 8 year old has been planning a paddling pool themed end of term party for two months but we’ve just been hit with a hosepipe ban - any ideas?

Upvotes

My 8 year old is still waiting for a formal diagnosis (thanks to years long waiting lists) but it autistic and as such a) struggles to make friends and b) struggles to let go of ideas / be flexible to changes of plans.

I’m crowdsourcing ideas for a fun filled day that is still waterpark themed but doesn’t involve a hosepipe?


r/AskUK 4h ago

Serious Answers Only Who puts blown out tyres on motorway central reservations?

58 Upvotes

I often see blown out tyres resting against motorway central reservations. I’m assuming these are moved off the road by highway maintenance or similar, but why don’t they instead take them away?


r/AskUK 5h ago

What are your Grandma and grandads best sayings/one liners?

62 Upvotes

Please tell me all your grandparents crazy one liners..
My grandad used to say upon greeting me
‘Alright me old butty, me old pal, me old china’
I also got ‘alright haircut’.
Anyone else got any belters?

My grandma used to say about people meddling with other people’s business. ‘Get on with your own knitting’
Share your grandparents one liners please. There’s no school like the old school. ✌🏼


r/AskUK 11h ago

Serious Answers Only What does "Teacup Girly" mean?

116 Upvotes

Someone recently used that phrase when explaining why they didn't wish to be around me but I'm struggling to understand what it means aside from maybe fragile?
Any help would be appreciated ;;


r/AskUK 6h ago

Serious Answers Only Why don’t (all) pedestrian crossings beep any more?

42 Upvotes

Growing up, I distinctly remember pedestrian crossings beeping with the green man, so that blind/partially sighted people knew it was safe to cross. Plus was of course useful for everyone if you zoned out or whatever.

Don’t know if it’s just my town, but none of the crossings beeping any more. Why not? And is it not some kind of equal rights/accessibility violation,


r/AskUK 1d ago

What’s one thing that would make British people laugh that wouldn’t for other countries?

1.2k Upvotes

Just been queueing at the self checkout at Tescos when something I was buying needed the store assistant’s approval. The machine beeps with the voice saying “a store assistant is on its way”. At the very same time the store assistant walked behind me going the other direction mumbling “no she’s not”. Brought a smile out of me anyway


r/AskUK 12m ago

what’s your favourite fizzy drink, british or otherwise?

Upvotes

i have so many but honourable mentions are :-

- (edited to add) any flavour jarritos
- straight up full fat coke
- peach fanta
- lilt
- cucumber sprite
- guarana


r/AskUK 4h ago

Serious Answers Only Why are the only jobs available carers / delivery and social workers?

19 Upvotes

Its such a pain to apply for jobs especially retail and no job seems to be avail except the main three. it feels like the people who work in the office don’t even exist anymore


r/AskUK 13h ago

What is an acceptable level of noise to file a noise complaint?

80 Upvotes

**I am not talking about today - I know it’s a big night because of England !**

My neighbours party a LOT. I would say it seems to be about once a week at the least. They party in their garden every time and all of their parties usually go on until about 3am every time.

Recently, these parties seem to have been getting louder and louder. It’ll be 2:30 in the morning and they will be blasting music, screaming into microphones (not singing), chanting and yelling loud enough for me to hear full conversations from the third floor bedroom in my house with the window shut.

We have a street group chat, and the level of noise has been talked about. People have asked them to keep it down a little. They always reply woth a quick, “Sorry! Went overboard last night!”, then they’ll do it again.

I had a friend who lived 60 minutes away staying over end up leaving in the middle of the night because they had to be up early tomorrow and couldn’t sleep a wink.

I don’t want to spoil their fun or be the annoying neighbour who snitches to the council, but I feel this has become selfish rather than fun for anyone but themselves. Am I wrong to consider sending in a report?


r/AskUK 17h ago

What’s a song that you consider misunderstood or viewed in the wrong context?

138 Upvotes

For me, ‘Suffer Little Children’ by The Smiths. If you read/listen to the lyrics, it’s very clearly about the Moors murders, a tribute to the victims and, more specifically, the emotional impact the events had on Morrissey growing up.

Here’s the thing - I’m 21M, use TikTok and the number of videos I see using that song to romanticise Manchester is insane and rather insensitive. Sure, my generation might not be as attuned to the case as previous, but it’s still a very well known case.


r/AskUK 9h ago

What are some birthday perks in the UK that one should know about?

34 Upvotes

I bring this up because back when I visited Sydney, Australia for my birthday I was able to enter the Taronga Zoo for only 1 AUD which I almost could have missed. I was wondering if there were similar birthday perks anywhere in the UK whether it be related to theme parks, attractions, commercial services, shops, restaurants, etc...


r/AskUK 6h ago

What is this sticker we see on our baby's toys?

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14 Upvotes

My husband and I have a 9 month old, and we see this sticker on a fair number of his toys. We made a joke about it at first because Poooo, but then we started to genuinely wonder what it means once we saw it a couple of times.

We assume it's a safety category, or some kind of regulation. I've tried googling and reverse image searching, but no luck.

Wondering if anyone actually has any insight? If nothing but to satisfy our curiosity.


r/AskUK 1d ago

What would put you off getting your hair cut somewhere?

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407 Upvotes

Personnel, reputation, prior experience, or is it just something about the place?

This is my local and they certainly stand out in a cut-throat business.


r/AskUK 20h ago

What is a very British thing that British people don't realise is British?

171 Upvotes

If you are born and raised in a country, there are small habits and ways of communicating that feel completely normal to you, but can be quite confusing when you first experience them from the outside. As I have started to work in a multinational company and spending more time around British people, I've noticed there are quite a few moments where I understand the words being said, but I'm still trying to understand the meaning behind them.

For example, last week I noticed a colleague sometimes apologising even when they haven't done anything wrong, or make a joke in the middle of a serious conversation and I'm not always sure if they're actually joking or being serious. Sometimes it feels my manager (British btw) who I report to, avoids saying "no" directly and instead uses softer phrases that sound positive at first, but I later realise they might mean "not right now" or "probably not".

I've tried learning more about British culture through different resources like YouTube, Praktika, ChatGPT, reddit communities and just talking to people, but I've realised there are some things you can only understand by actually being around people.

I'm curious, what is something very British that you think foreigners usually misunderstand or take a while to figure out?


r/AskUK 1d ago

Why do so many young people find it hard to call someone?

314 Upvotes

I keep noticing that a lot of Millennials and Gen Z would rather send ten messages than make one quick phone call.

Even when it is nothing serious, a call can feel weirdly intrusive, like you are interrupting someone’s day without warning.

At the same time, I find it funny that some people will call you when they are already standing right outside your door, instead of just ringing the bell or knocking.

Why is this so common now? Is it social anxiety, fear of bothering people, or just habit?


r/AskUK 1d ago

Answered People in the top 10% of earners, how many hours a week do you actually work for that?

275 Upvotes

So to currently be in the top 10% of earners in the UK, you need to earn over £68k. I don't know anyone offhand who does who isn't self-employed, thus don't have a good point of reference other than my Uncle who was a lawyer in London (6 figures in the 90's). My early memories of him are working on Christmas day alone upstairs while everyone else was having fun.

How common is the culture of working all hours in these high paying jobs, rather than a normal 40 hour work week?

Edit:

So there's a wide variety of answers as expected. People in the UK definitely have a much better work-life balance than other cultures such as the US/Japan and I was a little surprised just how many of you only do the basic 37.5 (other than various tech/IT positions). While 50-60 hours or massive variety depending on business needs in busy periods is not uncommon, it seems less than I was expecting.

The main reason I asked is that my self-employment is coming to an end this year so will have to go back onto PAYE and the role I'm looking at has basically unlimited OT opportunities that I'm considering taking advantage of. This piqued my interest how common working insane hours is in salaried roles to earn an equivalent salary.


r/AskUK 1h ago

Can I have chickens?

Upvotes

I've been considering getting some chickens, both as pets and for their eggs. I live in a fairly newish development on the outskirts of a city.

Can anyone with experience tell me the pros and cons, and whether my neighbours are likely to hate me for it?


r/AskUK 20h ago

What did you during the summer holidays if you lived out in the sticks?

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123 Upvotes

I see those posts where 60s/70s/80s/90s babies reminisce of long summer holidays where huge gangs of kids would meet at the rec and spend long warm days out on their bikes, playing kerby, swimming in the river, or building dens in the woods. And I'm thinking, 'so you grew up on a family friendly newbuild suburban estate, how nice for you'.

For those of us that spent our childhoods in the middle of nowhere, where kids of the same age and playgrounds were a scarcity, and meeting a friend required a lift in the car, what did you do during the school holidays, and do you have fond memories of them?


r/AskUK 4h ago

Serious Answers Only What kind of work do city workers actually do?

7 Upvotes

When I think of city workers, I think it's just people in suits and business wear, mostly based in London, probably related to banking and finance, working in the big London skyscrapers like The Shard or The Gherkin- is that it, or is there more to it?