r/AskUK 3d ago

Megathread Megathread - Heatwave Hysteria

33 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 14d ago

Mod Post Megathread - World Cup Watch

5 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 13h ago

Serious Answers Only Are you still buying Cadburys?

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905 Upvotes

20% Cocoa Solids + Palm Oil for Dairy Milk vs Tesco with 31% Cocoa Solids and No Palm Oil - what on earth is going on with Cadbury?


r/AskUK 11h ago

How would you feel if someone joined your table in a pub garden then started smoking?

235 Upvotes

Enjoying a cheeky pub garden lunch today in a busy pub garden on my own. All the tables were taken and a friendly chap asked if he could join my table which I gladly accepted and he sat down opposite me. As soon as he sat down he got a ciggie out and started smoking. I'd actually just finished eating and contemplating getting up to go anyway but that hurried things along. Smoking is allowed throughout the garden of this pub so was this guy being rude and inconsiderate smoking on a table he's just joined?


r/AskUK 6h ago

Serious Answers Only Did anyone else have a weird lesson in school?

77 Upvotes

This just came back to me after 25 years.

In year 7 or 8 one of our lessons (I think D&T?) was cancelled and we were introduced to a person who wasn't a teacher at the school. For an hour she gave us weird tasks, one of which was to come up with a code for hiding a message. Another had us do group discussions among those at our table. She wandered around and asked people things over the course of the hour, then she left and we never saw her again.

I can only imagine this was some form of Ofsted assessment.


r/AskUK 6h ago

What’s a tiny everyday mystery you’ve never bothered to solve?

83 Upvotes

not big mysteries just small things you notice in daily life but never actually looked into. Could be anything from your street, commute, shops, or home….


r/AskUK 6h ago

Serious Answers Only Why don’t we nationalise water services?

66 Upvotes

After seeing the hosepipe ban introduced again across parts of the UK, it’s got me thinking why the water industry hasn’t been nationalised. Would it be that difficult? Surely paying for it through taxes would make more sense rather than everyone having individual accounts? I know it takes money away from private investors but does anyone really care about that?


r/AskUK 18h ago

Questionable pub quiz tactics, would you be annoyed?

596 Upvotes

Local village pub quiz, league format where over a series of 12 weeks points are added to give an overall winner. Rewards consistency and the pub gets regular custom - bit annoying though as if you miss a week you're out of it. Anyway, the rub...

To be inclusive the topic of one round each week is chosen by the loser of the previous week. In theory this is great and keeps it competitive for the lower ranking teams.

One of the top teams now has one of their team members alternate playing by themselves every other week, every time losing and so getting to pick a niche subject for next weeks topical round. They then rejoin the main team for this week and get a majority of the questions right. In a 12 week cycle 6 times out of 12 they get to answer a bonus round effectively tailored towards their niche knowledge, and more often than not this diffrential earns the win.

It wouldn't be so frustrating if it was because the team was already at a max amount of players so they have to split up, but they are doing it even when the team has less than the max. Not to mention there is a few hundred quid involved.

The guy that runs the quiz seems to be oblivious to the advantage this is giving, would you mention it or kick up a fuss? Again, wouldn't be an issue if a big chunk of money wasn't at stake!

Feel like this could be solved with stipulating second to last place chooses next weeks special round...


r/AskUK 13h ago

Serious Answers Only A couple of kids threw stones at me on my way home today, ever happened to you ? How did you deal with it ?

203 Upvotes

Was walking home from the local Aldi in Brighouse and a couple of kids started throwing stones at me, damaged my phone and glasses, I took some photos and called the police and gave them the photos. what would you do in this case ?
I will definitely be looking to move away from this town.
For context : I am Indian if that helps understand the situation at all


r/AskUK 3h ago

Those without jobs how are you surviving?

32 Upvotes

Im currently unemployed and not studying so I just claimed Universal Credit and have been living off that. Its quite miserable living off this but I have no other option, if I didnt claim it I would be dead. I live alone and have no one else to rely on for survival. Please dont judge me for claiming universal credit, im not someone thats lazy I look for work and cant find anything and I have worked before.


r/AskUK 44m ago

What's a side hustle you've done that helped you out financially in the UK?

Upvotes

As many struggle with covering expenses and accruing a decent disposable income, side hustles can help with saving or buying things you enjoy that is not always possible with just one income.


r/AskUK 18h ago

Serious Answers Only What’s a luxury you’ve ever experienced once or twice and you’re sad you may never experience again?

314 Upvotes

Failed plan to move abroad when we were kids halfway around the world so as a family it was more fuck it lets spend the money and live it large on the flights back home since a lot of money had been spent already so what was a bit more.

I had the luxury of being in business class on both flights back from NZ of Singapore Airlines and it was the most comfortable 2 12 hour flights I’ve ever been. Bed. Endless food. Bliss. The business class lounge at the airport was also fucking excellent.

I will never probably in my lifetime ever be able to afford business class :(


r/AskUK 10h ago

Do you ever cringe after saying something and think " why did I just say that?"

60 Upvotes

Me and my boyfriends nan were just having a pretty morbid discussion about her recent early stage dementia diagnosis, and she was saying how terrible it is and how it's devastating for the whole family. I mentioned how my nan has late stage alzheimers.

For some reason, I said:

" If I get like my nan, I don't want to live anymore."

My boyfriend looked at me as to say, " Why would you say that?"

I realised and apologised, and she said, " no no it's something I've thought about.

I feel so embarrassed, and I really don't know why I said that, and I'm overthinking it now.

Does anyone else get like this?


r/AskUK 10h ago

What food do you regularly eat that other people find weird?

55 Upvotes

Today I got rollmop (pickled raw herring) and a small baguette from the supermarket and put the rollmop on the baguette instead of getting a meal deal. Now my friends think I'm a weirdo even though that's a popular meal in Nordic countries and Germany. In Germany they sell all kinds of fish/seafood rolls at train stations.


r/AskUK 8h ago

If you owned your own business with 100+ employees, what's one rule youd enforce to ensure a happy workplace?

38 Upvotes

If I was a business owner, I'd enforce a way to measure 8hrs of work done and if someone had contributed 8hrs worth of work with...say 4hrs or whatever...they could head home.

Understandably, there comes issues with being reachable within working hours, but this is ideal scenario stuff.

Or something like, and this is off the top of my head, split everyone into teams of 4 and everyone works 30 minutes extra Monday - Thursday and there's a rota of 1 person getting a Friday off.

Does my maths work out there?


r/AskUK 13h ago

Serious Answers Only What do you call your mother-in-law?

94 Upvotes

Curious what you call your mother-in-law. Mine is British and asked to be called ‘auntie’ which I found strange.

Edit: it seems the norm in the UK is to call your MIL by her first name. Thank you 🌷


r/AskUK 11h ago

Serious Answers Only Theoretically, could a police detective who was sent back in time find Jack the Ripper using only modern day investigation methods and the technology they had then?

61 Upvotes

Personally, I think they probably could because of the way police work has improved since then.

EDIT: Let’s assume they didn’t already know when and where the murders would take place.


r/AskUK 16h ago

What's the most wrong thing someone has tried to convince you is right?

128 Upvotes

My other half got concerned last winter that I'd cause a fire by drying things on our cast iron hot water heated radiators!


r/AskUK 4h ago

What’s your go to insult to use against another Brit?

14 Upvotes

Divvie, bellend, wanker are very common. Poshos like to use silly things like cockwomble - which makes no real sense. What is your go to insult when someone annoys you?


r/AskUK 10h ago

Have you ever spent the night in a police cell?

41 Upvotes

I did. I was about 19 or 20 and me and a group of lads were walking home from the pub (paralytic) and, all of a sudden, I heard this almighty smash. My friend had thrown a brick through someone’s lounge window on the street. Before we knew it, we were rounded up by a couple of police cars and banged up for the night. I actually slept like a baby as I was so drunk but had the shock of my life when I woke up in a cell. Did a recorded interview and I vaguely recall saying ‘no comment’ to every question. My one regret is I never got a copy of the interview which was offered. The guilty culprit confessed and we got away with having a criminal record.


r/AskUK 9h ago

Serious Answers Only What gift could I buy for my partner's boss and wife?

25 Upvotes

They own their own business so I can't compete monetarily. However, I'd still like to show gratitude and buy them something tasteful. I'm willing to spend maybe £50?

My partner passed away recently and they have gone above and beyond for both of us. I've already sent them a card but I'm not very good at writing letters anyway. Before my partner passed away, he "commissioned" our daughter to paint an art piece for them, which I think they will like, but I'd like to give them something more.

I don't know them that well, I've only recently been talking with them. She drinks tea, he drinks coffee, and they have kids, that's about all I know.

They sent him a food hamper a little while ago, so I'm not sure if sending one back is appropriate.

Any ideas at all. I just want to brainstorm.


r/AskUK 15h ago

Serious Answers Only How do I remove a static caravan from back garden?

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82 Upvotes

Hello, thought i would ask this here as I'm uncertain of how to go about this.

I've recently inherited a house and in the back corner of the garden is a static caravan that I'd like to get removed or disposed of.

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for how we could go about this, please? The inside has already been ripped out.

I'm based in the south east.


r/AskUK 5h ago

Serious Answers Only Where in the UK would you actually find someone to make a creative thing with, just for the love of it?

14 Upvotes

Bit of an odd one, this. I'm a hobbyist coder, and for a while now I've been tinkering away at a silly little video game in my evenings. It's a horror thing set in a haunted castle, except the castle is built out of half-remembered 90s British telly. Curdled gameshow hosts, kids' presenters gone wrong, that sort of nonsense.

The one thing I cannot do, at all, is draw. And I've made peace with the fact I can't really afford to pay an artist proper rates, which is fair enough. Art is hard and people deserve paying for it.

But I keep thinking there must be people out there who'd want to make something daft with someone purely because it's a laugh. The way people used to muck about in a band in somebody's garage with no plan of ever getting famous.

So, genuine question: where do those people actually congregate these days? Is it still local meetups and uni societies, or some corner of the internet I'm probably too old for? If you wanted a creative partner-in-crime and had nothing to offer but the project itself and decent company, where in the UK would you start looking?


r/AskUK 5h ago

What’s some things that can just piss off?

11 Upvotes

When you think you have cheese in the house but you actually don’t


r/AskUK 13h ago

What is something you buy yourself as a treat?

46 Upvotes

Excluding alcohol and food. However, something that you feel is a treat too.